TV Studios today announced that it has acquired a majority stake in Moonage Pictures, one of the UK’s fastest growing independent producers of high-end drama including global hits The Gentlemen and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Moonage Pictures was established in 2018 by Will Gould, Matthew Read and Frith Tiplady and produces original, inventive content for UK and international markets.
Julian Bellamy, Managing Director ITV Studios:
“Will, Matthew and Frith have built a formidable scripted production company with a very strong slate of first class shows ranging from The Gentlemen to A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. They’re an incredibly talented team and we feel incredibly fortunate they’re joining ITV Studios. I can’t wait to work with them.”
The Gentlemen, directed by Guy Richie, debuted as Netflix’s number one show and quickly became one of the most-viewed TV shows of 2024. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, adapted for the BBC and Netflix – reached the streamer’s global top-10 most-watched list. They also recently launched the acclaimed adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusas’s epic novel The Leopard for Netflix.
Other production credits include: Bodies, the limited series starring Stephen Graham (Netflix Global Top Ten); Emily Mortimer’s adaptation of The Pursuit of Love for BBC One and Amazon; The Famous Five for the BBC, co-created with Nicolas Widing Refn; Curfew for Sky One; Netflix’s Obsession and sci-fi Intergalactic for Sky One.
The Company is already working on second seasons for The Gentlemen, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Famous Five. As part of the acquisition, BBC Studios has exited its stake in Moonage and will continue to distribute returning series including A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Famous Five. International distribution of new Moonage Pictures series will be handled by ITV Studios.
“The acquisition is a further milestone in ITV’s strategy of expanding its international content business, with Moonage Pictures becoming the latest in a line of production companies to join the group in recent years.” – ITV Studio
Helion Partners advised the shareholders on the transaction.
