ITV Studios has acquired a majority stake in Australian producer Lingo Pictures in its first acquisition in the country.
ITV’s production and distribution arm paid an undisclosed amount for the Sydney-based company for which it is best known uprightthe Sky and Foxtel Australia drama starring Tim Minchin and house of dragons“Milly Alcock.
Company owners Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens will continue to run Lingo, which will now be part of the international production arm of ITV Studios, with Lisa Perrin as managing director.
The group’s other international drama labels include Ben Stephenson’s recently formed Poison Pen Studios; Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions; Dominic Treadwell Collins’ Happy Prince, home to Patrick Spence and David P. Davis’ 5Acts; Cattleya Producciones by Arturo Diaz; Moritz Polter’s lantern pictures; Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements’ Tomorrow Studios; and Tony To and Dan Sackheim’s Bedrock Entertainment.
Perrin said: “I am delighted to welcome Helen and Jason, whose partnership has become one of the most admired in the Australian and international screenwriting community. Their talent for producing quality scripts is evident and they are well positioned to take even greater advantage of the unprecedented demand for English language drama as part of our global network of production companies.”
Recent productions of Lingo include the second season of The secrets she keeps for Paramount+, BBC One and Sundance/AMC and production has concluded the second season upright, which was nominated for Best International Drama at the Edinburgh TV Awards. It has also produced gothic drama lambs of godwon nine AACTA (Australian Academy) awards, on the ropesand Wake up startled (2017), a thriller based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Kenneth Cook.
Upcoming projects include queen of oza comedy starring and co-written by comedian Catherine Tate, commissioned directly by BBC One in the UK; The messenger, based on a bestselling novel by Markus Zusak, for Australia’s ABC; and Thrive for the Australian streaming service Stan and Lionsgate. ITV Studios handles the international distribution of all new Lingo series.
“What a privilege to join international powerhouse ITV Studios at a time when Australian stories are exploding around the world. We are so excited to sit alongside the other illustrious ITV Studios labels and can’t wait to get started,” Bowden and Stephens said in a statement.
Prior to founding Lingo, Bowden was Founder and Managing Director of Matchbox Pictures owned by NBCUniversal while Stephens was Head of Development and then Creative Director at Fremantle Australia.
ITV Studios Australia has operated in the country since 2013 when Grenada Media Australia was rebranded. This shop produces things like I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Australia, The hunt Australia and The voice of Australia. Industry veteran David Mott has led it since 2015.