Prior to producing Small Island with Vicky, Joanna worked on the creative side of high-end television and film drama for several years. Starting out in the prestigious BBC Serials department under Michael Wearing, she then left to become Head of Development for major independents such as Red Rooster, Ecosse and Impossible Pictures. She has also been Senior Development Executive at the UK Film Council. Highly experienced in script, she has worked with leading screenwriters including Andrew Davies, Adrian Hodges, Amanda Coe and Abi Morgan.
Joanna has recently begun writing for screen herself, and her debut screenplay about the early life of Vera Lynn is being developed by eOne. Further writing work includes Zero Hour, a television series set in post-war Germany in development with Per Capita (New York); and Catch a Fire, in development with the BFI.
Vicky has worked extensively as an actress and presenter as well as producer. As an actress her work on stage included plays at the National, the Young Vic and the Piccadilly Theatre. She presented Saturday Superstore, a three-hour live programme on BBC 1, for two seasons and has also guest presented Woman’s Hour (BBC Radio 4).
As a producer Vicky originated Debut on Two with the BBC – a series of eight short multicultural films for writers new to TV. The writers were selected following nationwide workshops with leading television writers including Meera Syal. The films were performed by a rep company of actors including Pete Postlethwaite and Adrian Dunbar. She then went on to produce Goodbye Mr Steadman in 2001, an original comedy-drama film for ITV starring Caroline Quentin and Lenny Henry, which became the highest rating independent drama of that year. Following her work as a drama development producer for Talkback Thames and Avalon she formed AL Films with Joanna Anderson.