What Chalkboard TV does

Chalkboard TV is a UK-based independent television production company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Hammersmith, London. It develops and produces original factual, entertainment, and drama content primarily for the five major UK public broadcasters — BBC One, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5, and Sky — with titles spanning documentaries (Murder, Mystery and My Family, Once Were Lions, Babies 24/7: The Maternity Ward), factual entertainment (Mend It for Money, My Wonderful Life, The Extreme Diet Hotel), prime-time game shows (One Question), and scripted drama (Cold Call, Logan High, Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama). The company operates alongside two aligned production entities: Glasgow-based sister company Storyboard Studios (launched April 2019 under former BBC Factual Controller Natalie Humphreys) and drama-focused label Clapperboard (launched November 2020 under iZen Group), both overseen by Chalkboard's Managing Director Mike Benson.

The company's product is original TV IP built around proprietary formats and talent anchors (e.g., barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein for the Murder, Mystery franchise). Technical infrastructure is conventional broadcast production rather than a software platform; there is no disclosed proprietary technology stack beyond standard production tooling and the use of talent management platform The Talent Manager for crew sourcing. AI/ML capability is not evidenced in the input.

Chalkboard monetizes through two revenue streams: (1) primary broadcast commissioning fees from UK public-service broadcasters, where the company pitches distinctive formats to commissioning editors and is engaged under production contracts for individual series; and (2) secondary format licensing royalties from international adaptations of its proprietary formats, most notably 'Don't Ask Me' which has been adapted for Italy's Rai 1 and the Middle East's MBC. Commercial traction is reflected in reported audience outcomes — a peak audience of 2.4 million viewers and a 30% audience share for Murder, Mystery and My Family on BBC One — and in industry recognition including Best Daytime Programme at the 2019 Broadcast Awards and Small Independent Production Company of the Year at the 2020 Edinburgh TV Awards. Customer concentration sits with five enterprise broadcasting clients, and the business is small-scale with a named headcount of around 8 personnel.

Name

Chalkboard TV

Legal name

Chalkboard TV

Website

https://chalkboardtv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chalkboard TV is a UK-based independent television production company founded in 2013, producing original factual, entertainment, and drama content for major UK broadcasters including BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5, and Sky, with secondary international format licensing revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hammersmith

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Commissioning: Chalkboard TV generates primary revenue through commissioned production contracts with UK broadcasters (BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5, Sky). Production fees are earned for original content across factual, entertainment, and drama genres.
2. Format Licensing: The company develops proprietary TV formats (such as 'Don't Ask Me', 'Murder Mystery and My Family', 'Mend It For Money') that can be licensed internationally to other markets, as evidenced by the 'Don't Ask Me' format being adapted for Italy and Middle East markets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chalkboard TV is an independent UK television production company that develops and produces original factual, entertainment, and drama programmes commissioned by major UK broadcasters (BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5, Sky). Its portfolio spans documentary series, prime-time quiz shows, observational documentaries, scripted reality, and psychological dramas, with select formats adapted internationally. The company also operates sister entities Storyboard Studios (Glasgow-based factual production) and Clapperboard (iZen-group drama label).

Product overview

Chalkboard TV is a UK-based independent television production company founded in 2013, producing a diverse range of factual, drama, and entertainment content. The company's portfolio spans multiple genres including documentary series (Murder, Mystery and My Family, Babies 24/7: The Maternity Ward, Once Were Lions, Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska), factual entertainment (Mend It for Money, Don't Ask Me Ask Britain), prime time game shows (One Question), dramas (Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama, Cold Call, Logan High), and entertainment specials. Chalkboard operates alongside sister companies Storyboard Studios (Glasgow-based factual production) and Clapperboard (drama label under iZen group), collectively offering production capabilities across factual, entertainment, and scripted content for UK and international broadcasters including BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5, and international networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clapperboard: Scripted-content production company launched under iZen group, offering commercial and creative home for UK writers and directors with enhanced co-producer terms.

Products and services

• Murder, Mystery and My Family BBC One factual series in which barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein investigate historical murder cases for living relatives, using modern forensic techniques to determine whether convictions were safe. Multiple series commissioned for BBC One daytime, performing at a 2.4 million peak audience with 30% share.
• One Question Prime-time Channel 4 gameshow hosted by Claudia Winkleman in which contestants answer one question to win up to £100,000 by progressively eliminating wrong answers. Commissioned by Channel 4.
• Mend It for Money Channel 4 factual series filmed in Glasgow where antique restorers compete to restore collectibles and negotiate profit-sharing deals with owners. Co-produced with Storyboard Studios. Commissioned as a 20-part series, with a pilot drawing 1.4 million viewers.
• Babies 24/7: The Maternity Ward Observational documentary series following expectant parents at The Royal Preston Hospital's Maternity Unit, capturing diverse birth experiences from water births to emergency Caesareans.
• Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama Dramatisation of the 2022 High Court 'Wagatha Christie' trial starring Michael Sheen, based on real court transcripts of Rebekah Vardy's lawsuit against Coleen Rooney.
• Sue Perkins: Lost in Alaska Three-part factual series for Channel 5 following Sue Perkins on an Alaskan adventure exploring extreme weather, wildlife, and local communities.
• Once Were Lions Feature-length BBC iPlayer documentary with unprecedented access to the GB Lions rugby team's 2019 tour of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Co-produced with Ad Hoc Films, leveraging the Rugby League World Cup as a content opportunity.
• Inside Prison: Britain Behind Bars ITV four-part documentary series offering access to seven UK prisons, examining life behind bars through the eyes of prison officers and inmates.
• Cold Call Channel 5 four-part psychological thriller following a single mother caught up in a fraudulent cold-call scam that threatens to unravel her life. Channel 5's first original drama order in four years.
• Logan High BBC CBBC 'scripted reality' drama set in a fictional Edinburgh high school using an 'improv-drama' production model, with 60 ten-minute episodes available on BBC iPlayer. Produced by Chalkboard Scotland (predecessor to Storyboard Studios).
• Troll Hunters BBC Three documentary in which beauty vlogger Em Ford tracks down online trolls responsible for cyber abuse.
• Britain's Trillion Pound Island BBC Two documentary in which Jacques Peretti investigates the Cayman Islands as a British tax haven.
• My Wonderful Life Sky 1 factual entertainment series featuring people who are dying recording personal messages and arranging gifts for delivery after their death.
• Life Behind Bars: Visiting Hour Channel 4 documentary exploring relationships between prisoners and visitors at HMP Low Moss in Scotland, filmed using fixed-rig cameras.
• Don't Ask Me Ask Britain ITV live interactive comedy gameshow hosted by Alexander Armstrong in which contestants use a second-screen app to poll national opinions and second-guess the nation's views.
• Don't Ask Me Ask Italy Live interactive gameshow for Rai 1 (Italy), hosted by Fabrizio Frizzi, in which contestants second-guess national opinions to win money. International adaptation of the 'Don't Ask Me' format.
• Don't Ask Me - Middle East Live interactive gameshow for MBC (Middle East), hosted by Maya Diab, in which contestants poll viewer opinions as part of the gameplay. International adaptation of the 'Don't Ask Me' format.
• The Extreme Diet Hotel Factual entertainment series following Galia Grainger's extreme weight-loss retreat Slimmeria, where guests endure intensive 400-calorie diets and unconventional training.
• The Great Xmas Rant ITV2 Christmas special featuring comedians discussing their holiday grievances from dry turkeys to terrible gifts.
• Celebrity Fat Fighters Entertainment series in which celebrities undergo extreme weight loss at Britain's toughest retreat under trainer Galia Grainger.
• Battlecats Channel 4/All 4 entertainment series featuring cats and trainers competing in feline sporting events.
• The Office Xmas Party ITV2 festive entertainment series following three businesses as they prepare their Christmas parties.
• Sex Toy Secrets Channel 4/All 4 factual series offering a frank and humorous look inside British sex toy seller Bondara.
• Murder, Mystery & My Family: Case Closed? BBC One spin-off series where barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein reunite with families from the original 'Murder, Mystery and My Family' series to explore new evidence and pursue justice through the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Peak audience of 2.4 million viewers for Murder, Mystery and My Family
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ad Hoc FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2020Award-winning documentary producer that co-produced 'Once Were Lions' feature-length documentary about the GB Rugby League Lions 2019 tour. Executive producers include Mat Hodgson and Daniel Glynn from Ad Hoc Films alongside Mike Benson from Chalkboard.
• iZen GroupcoreOthers · 1 November 2020iZen Group is the parent company overseeing Chalkboard TV and its subsidiaries. Mike Benson, MD of Chalkboard, oversees the new Clapperboard drama label launched under iZen Group. The launch of Clapperboard follows Chalkboard's first drama commission 'Cold Call' for Channel 5. Clapperboard aims to offer a commercial and creative home for writers and directors with enhanced commercial terms.
• Storyboard StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2019Glasgow-based sister company led by co-founder Natalie Humphreys (former BBC Factual Controller with £100M+ budget oversight). Storyboard Studios develops and produces programming for UK and international markets. Co-produced Mend It For Money with Chalkboard. Chalkboard Scotland (predecessor) produced the 60-episode CBBC series Logan High. Signals Chalkboard's commitment to Scotland and its creative community.
• The Talent ManagerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndustry talent management platform used by Chalkboard to manage CV database and list job vacancies. Freelancers and crew can join the network and keep availability updated.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Studio Lambert: London-based independent UK production company of comparable size, producing factual entertainment and formatted shows for BBC, Channel 4 and other UK broadcasters. Closely comparable in scale, genre mix, and commissioning strategy to Chalkboard TV.
• Love Productions: Award-winning UK indie (The Great British Bake Off) producing formatted factual entertainment for UK broadcasters. Named alongside Chalkboard in the 2021 Broadcast Awards Best Independent Production Company category, making it a strong direct comparable.
• Mammoth Screen: UK independent production company producing high-end drama and factual content for BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Comparable in broadcaster relationships and was a co-nominee with Chalkboard in the 2021 Broadcast Awards.
• Plimsoll Productions: UK indie focused on premium factual and natural history programming for global streamers and broadcasters. Co-nominee with Chalkboard at the 2021 Broadcast Awards, operating at a similar scale.
• 72 Films: UK-based independent production company producing documentaries and factual series for UK broadcasters. Co-nominee with Chalkboard at the 2021 Broadcast Awards, comparable in size and genre focus.
• Talkback (part of Fremantle): Long-established UK indie producing entertainment and formatted shows for ITV and BBC. Co-nominee with Chalkboard at the 2021 Broadcast Awards, with overlapping daytime and entertainment commissions.
• Hat Trick Productions: Independent UK production company producing comedy, drama and entertainment for BBC, Channel 4 and ITV. Comparable in indie scale and multi-genre broadcaster relationships.
• Twenty Twenty Productions: UK factual and entertainment indie (First Dates, The Choir) producing formatted programming for major UK broadcasters. Closely comparable in genre mix and commissioner relationships.
• Dragonfly Film and Television: UK independent producer of factual, documentary and formatted entertainment for BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Comparable scale and broadcaster portfolio to Chalkboard TV.
• Wall to Wall Media: UK-based indie producing high-quality drama, documentary and factual programming for UK broadcasters. Comparable indie scale with similar broadcaster relationships to Chalkboard.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChalkboardTelevision
• Xx.com/chalkboard_tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chalkboard TV