FremantleMedia UK


Thames hires Boomerang’s Baldwin as development director

FremantleMediaUK’s Thames has appointed Boomerang’s Shona Baldwin as director of development. Baldwin will work closely with managing director Amelia Brown and creative director Phil Harris on developing new formats for global audiences. She joins the entertainment company this month. The new director arrives from TwoFour label Boomerang, where as director of development she has led […]

Sharon Horgan’s Merman hires Fremantle production head

Merman, the production company founded by Catastrophe’s Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford, has appointed FremantleMedia UK’s Rebecca Parkinson (pictured) as its head of production. Parkinson joins Merman from Fremantle’s scripted comedy label Retort and will oversee the production of all Merman projects in the newly created role. She will work closely with Mountford. The appointment […]

BBC doc boss takes BBC Two post

The BBC has appointed its head of documentaries, Patrick Holland, as channel editor of BBC Two. The UK pubcaster has been searching for an exec to oversee the channel since former BBC Two controller Kim Shillinglaw lost out on the TV channels and iPlayer controller job to Charlotte Moore and subsequently left. Clare Sillery, who […]

Fremantle buys into social football biz

FremantleMedia has acquired a near-35% stake in London-based football media business Squawka, which offers news, rumours and social media content to fans. Squawka will sit alongside FremantleMedia’s multichannel network The Football Republic and work with the MCN’s parent, FremantleMedia UK’s digital studio, Shotglass Media. Launched in 2012 by Sanjit Atwal and Leo Harrison, Squawka produces […]

All3 co-founder joins FremantleMedia UK board

All3Media co-founder David Liddiment has joined FremantleMedia as non-executive chairman of its UK arm. He will sit on the FremantleMedia UK operating board and advise interim CEO Richard Holloway, his management team and the FMUK prodcos ­– Boundless, Euston Films, Newman Street, Retort, Shotglass Media, Talkback and Thames – on UK and international issues. Liddiment, […]

Boundless replaces BBC-bound Holland

FremantleMedia UK producer Boundless has appointed a managing director to replace Patrick Holland, who is to become head of documentary commissioning at the BBC. Hannah Wyatt (pictured) has been named MD, having previously been creative director. The BBC recently hired Holland as one of three new commissioning editors sought after a restructure. He will remain […]

BBC taps FremantleMedia for factual chief

The BBC has poached the managing director of FremantleMedia UK’s prodco Boundless to become head of commissioning for documentaries at the UK pubcaster. Patrick Holland (pictured) will join the BBC’s factual commissioning team later this year, coming in as divisional boss Emma Swain takes a year secondment to plot the outline of the new, commercially-focused […]

Ex-FremantleMedia UK boss joins All3

Former FremantleMedia UK CEO Sara Geater is joining another UK-based production giant, All3Media, as COO. Since leaving FremantleMedia’s British arm in 2014 after seven years, she has taken on the chairmanship of indie body PACT, and will joins Gogglebox firm All3 with immediate effect. This comes after All3’s former COO, Jane Turton, secured the CEO […]

Geater named Pact chair

Former FremantleMedia UK CEO Sara Geater has been named chairman of British indie production body Pact. Geater left FremantleMedia at the end of May this year, with Richard Holloway stepping up to replace her in the interim. No full-time replacement has been named at FremantleMedia, but Geater will now work alongside Pact CEO John McVay […]

X Factor UK preps US debut on AXS

Music cable channel AXS TV is taking The X Factor UK into the US for the first time. The channel has signed a deal with FremantleMedia International to broadcast the upcoming eleventh season of the show, which comes from Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia UK-owned Thames TV. The new season of the UK show […]