Reef founder Richard Farmbrough launches factual firm Somersault Studio, preps BBC Easter show

Richard Farmbrough & Owen Rodd (Source: Somersault Studio/Kirsten McTernan)

Former Reef Television CEO, Richard Farmbrough, and executive producer Owen Rodd have partnered to launch a new UK factual label, Somersault Studio.

Based in London and Cardiff, the indie will create factual content for broadcasters, streamers, brands and the podcast market, and has already set its first major commission with the BBC.

The nascent Somersault is producing Gareth Malone’s Passion, a 2 x 60-minute or 1 x 120-minute title following the choirmaster and broadcaster as he takes eight untrained singers to stage his own performance of Bach’s St John Passion on the 300th anniversary of its first performance.

It will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Wales this Easter, and will involve the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Singers.

Gareth Malone’s Passion (Source: Somersault Studio/Kirsten McTernan)

Nimble & agile

Farmbrough launched Reef Television in 2003 and served as CEO until 2018, staying on for a few years after its acquisition by Zinc Media in 2015.

While there, he oversaw shows including Messiah At The Foundling Hospital for the BBC, Paul Hollywood’s City Bakes for Food Network, Village Of The Year for Channel 4 and long-running shows such as BBC daytime series Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and Channel 4’s French Collection.

Prior to Reef, Farmbrough was a producer at the BBC and Talkback Productions and has also served as the CEO of media technology business Must.

Rodd, meanwhile, is an executive producer who worked as a freelancer alongside Farmbrough at Reef over a number of years. His credits span Channel 5 factual titles Egyptian Tomb Hunting With Tony Robinson and The Nile – Egypt’s Great River With Bettany Hughes, as well as Smithsonian’s Combat Ships, Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages and Walking Through History for Channel 4.

Somersault has also brought onboard former Reef MD and Tin Roof Media alum Paul Hanrahan to serve as head of production on a consultancy basis. The company said, aside from the Gareth Malone project, it is also in advanced development on travel and history shows and a music-based podcast.

“It is immensely exciting to be back in the production game with the multi-talented Owen Rodd, this time with a remit to create factual content for a truly broad range of customers,” said Farmbrough. “The opportunities to reach audiences in this continually fragmenting market are huge, but as producers we need to be more nimble and agile than ever before – somersaulting our way through the media landscape.”