Get your copy of John's exceptional book here.

What if every story you've ever loved - from ancient myths to Marvel blockbusters, from Shakespeare to The Sopranos - follows the exact same blueprint?

Today we dive deep into John Yorke's revolutionary book "Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them," the UK's bestselling screenwriting text that's required reading for story enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Find this and other interviews on our new YouTube Channel.

Yorke, the mastermind behind British TV hits like Shameless, Life on Mars, and EastEnders, argues that storytelling isn't just an art - it's hardwired into human perception itself.

We explore his groundbreaking five-act structure, the neurological basis of narrative, and why understanding story structure can transform your writing from good to great.

Whether you're a seasoned screenwriter or just starting your storytelling journey, this episode will change how you see every story around you.

Guest Bio:

John Yorke is one of the most influential figures in British television drama. Former MD of Company Pictures where he Exec Produced Wolf Hall, he’s worked as both Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production, where he was responsible for commissioning and producing some of the most beloved shows in British TV history, including Hustle, Spooks, Casualty, Holby City, Bodies, and Sex Traffic.

His career began story-lining EastEnders during its first BAFTA-winning year, leading to a 14-year association that produced some of the biggest audiences in British television history.

As a commissioning editor and executive producer, he championed defining works like Life On Mars, The Street, Shameless, and Waterloo Road.

In 2005, he created the BBC Writers Academy, a year-long intensive training program that has produced a generation of successful television writers.

John Yorke is now Managing Director of both Angel Station and John Yorke Story, where he works as a drama producer, consultant and lecturer on all forms of storytelling.

He consults on narrative advertising across all broadcasting platforms including podcasting, presents his own weekly radio show Opening Lines about classic books on BBC Radio 4, and is also Visiting Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

He lives in London but works as a story consultant worldwide.

Useful links:

BBC Writersroom Interview - John Yorke

Hit the link here for 10% off Story and Plot's pro digital screenwriting courses, MASTERING STRUCTURE and IDEA TO OUTLINE.

• There you can sign up for Tom's weekly newsletter - it's a free screenwriting lesson in your inbox every Tuesday morning.

• It's also where you can find his FREE email course, SCREENWRITING FOR BEGINNERS, for those at the beginning of their journey.

Discover why 90% of screenplay sales hinge on two crucial elements - and it's not what most writers think. Professional screenwriter Tom Vaughan exposes the industry's best-kept structural secrets, including the game-changing 8-sequence method that outperforms traditional 3-act structure. Learn why the story-vs-plot distinction separates amateur scripts from professional ones, and discover how proper structure actually unleashes creativity instead of constraining it.

Tom Vaughan has written screenplays professionally for 28 years and taught the subject for 22.

He has written for, among others, Phoenix Pictures, TNT, MTV Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, ABC, NBC, CBS, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, Disney, and others. He has also developed screenplays for Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage, Barry Sonnenfeld, Chow-Yun Fat, Ruben Fleischer, David Gordon Green, and many more.

WINCHESTER, the film he co-wrote starring Helen Mirren and Sarah Snook, about the infamous Winchester Mystery House, opened nationwide in 2018 and his eighth film, THE HAUNTING OF THE QUEEN MARY was released in 2023.

One of his big life goals was to teach screenwriting at my beloved alma mater, The University of Houston.

Which he now does.

Check out the video of this interview on our new YouTube Channel.

Useful links:

Michael Arndt's incredible screenwriting videos

Trailer to Tom's recent film, WINCHESTER

Interview with playwright Edward Albee - Tom's teacher

In our season two finale, we speak to screenwriter Justin Kremer, who made history as the first writer to be signed via The Black List website just six weeks after its launch. Six weeks later, he landed on the annual Black List for his historical political biopic McCarthy, which chronicles the rise and fall of 1950s Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. The script explores McCarthy's tenure as the most visible face of Cold War-era fears about communist subversion in America, culminating in the televised Army-McCarthy hearings of spring 1954, where the senator's claims of communist infiltration in the U.S. Army ultimately led to his downfall.

Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justin Kremer on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, Letterbox⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠d and X

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠storyandplot.com/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.

Useful links:

Wall Street Journal Article

Interview w/The Bitter Script Reader

Black List Blog - Go Into The Story Interview

Deadline Article on First Website Discovery