Fremantle has become the majority shareholder in U.K. indie Dancing Ledge Productions, the production company behind BBC hits “The Responder” and “The Salisbury Poisonings.”
Fremantle previously held a minority stake and has upped its share in the company, which was founded by CEO Laurence Bowen in 2016, with backing from Fremantle. “Les Misérables” producer Chris Carey joined as managing director and executive producer in March 2020. Finance director Carmel Burke, who had previous stints at BBC Studios, Sony and Banijay, has been promoted to COO.
Coming up for Dancing Ledge is upcoming BBC thriller series, “Crossfire,” starring Keeley Hawes; Disney Plus Star U.K. romantic comedy action thriller series “Wedding Season,” written by Oliver Lyttelton; and NNC supernatural series “Domino Day.” The company has also secured a second series commission from BBC One for “The Responder,” which is due to go into production later this year.
Dancing Ledge also runs the High-End TV Mentoring Program with ScreenSkills and ITV, a Directors Mentoring Scheme with BBC TV, and offers an annual TV Writer in Residence bursary.
Bowen said: “Chris and I are thrilled at the way Dancing Ledge has grown over the last few years nurturing, championing and then producing work by the most exciting new voices in Britain. Authorship and authenticity are at the heart of what we do, and we wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without the unwavering support of Fremantle from day one. Expanding our relationship with Fremantle will allow us to continue to work with the amazing development, production, and finance teams we have. We’re very excited about the future.”
Simon Andreae, U.K. CEO at Fremantle, said: “Laurence, Chris, and their team have built a fantastic business, driven by an infectious passion, energy, and commitment to their teams, their writers, their actors, and their shows. It’s reflected in their entire portfolio and we are delighted to welcome them as an even closer part of the family as they continue to grow and flourish.”
Jennifer Mullin, group CEO, Fremantle, said: “Fremantle is proud to invest and work with the very best creative minds in the business. Dancing Ledge are exceptional talents, all of whom take enormous pride in their work, which in turn inspires and entertains millions of people. We are thrilled to expand our partnership with them.”
Over the past year Fremantle acquired 12 production labels in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark from Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), scripted Italian production company Lux Vide (“Devils,” “Leonardo”), international development and production company Fabel (“Bosch”), Australian-American television production company Eureka Productions (“Parental Guidance,” “Finding Magic Mike”) and U.K. unscripted production company Label1 (“Hospital”).
