Curious Films

What Curious Films does

Curious Films is a London-based premium factual television and documentary production company founded in 2018 by Dov Freedman (CEO) and Charlie Russell (Creative Director). The company develops, produces, and delivers documentary films and multi-part series for major UK broadcasters — BBC, Channel 4, and Sky — and global streaming platforms including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and A+E Networks. The portfolio spans true crime, celebrity biography, science, social documentaries, and music formats, with several productions reaching #1 on Netflix in the US, UK, and Germany (notably Running with the Devil, Lover Stalker Killer, and The Man with 1000 Kids).

The company's business model is commission-based professional services: revenue is generated through negotiated production contracts with broadcasters and streaming platforms rather than recurring subscriptions, licensing, or product sales. Go-to-market is relationship-led and pitch-driven, targeting a small number of large enterprise commissioners. Internal capabilities rest on a creative team anchored by co-founder Charlie Russell (double BAFTA and Emmy award-winning director with 30+ documentaries) and supplemented by senior freelance talent such as Jessie Versluys (BAFTA winner) and a finance/commercial lead in Mark Raeburn (former Channel 4 Head of Programme Finance overseeing a £700M budget). Operational leadership includes a Head of Production, Head of Development, and Development Executive, with a documented production slate of roughly one to three major commissions per year from 2022 onward. There is no disclosed software platform, proprietary technology stack, or modular product architecture; each documentary or series is a bespoke production.

Since 2022, the company has systematically expanded from UK linear broadcasters into the global streaming market, securing Netflix Original commissions from July 2022, Disney+/Hulu commissions from 2025, and A+E commissions alongside ongoing Sky, BBC, and Channel 4 work. The company is privately held and founder-led with 11–50 employees based at a single London studio (Cairo Studio, 4 Nile Street, N1 7RF). No external funding rounds are disclosed (the only recorded round, with Edition Capital in January 2020, shows a $0 raise). Industry recognition includes Best Emerging Indie at the Broadcast Awards (2024), Broadcast Digital Award for Best Documentary Series (2025), Top 10 Global Emerging Indies by Realscreen, Top 50 'true Indies' in Televisual Magazine, and nominations at the Grierson Awards, Royal Television Society Awards, National Television Awards, and True Crime Awards.

Name

Curious Films

Legal name

Curious Films

Website

https://curiousfilms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Curious Films is a London-based premium factual television production company founded in 2018, producing documentaries and series for BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and A+E, with multiple Netflix #1 hits and Broadcast Award recognition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Historical, Biographical & Archival Documentaries (MPADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

True Crime Documentaries (MPADADAN), Investigative & Journalism Documentaries (MPADADAD), Business, Politics & Current Affairs Documentaries (MPADADAJ)

Keywords

• Documentary production
• Factual television
• Premium content production
• Broadcast commissioning
• Streaming originals

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Commissioning: The company generates revenue through commissions from major broadcasters including BBC, Channel 4, and Sky for documentary and factual programming.
2. Streaming Platform Deals: Revenue generated from producing original content for streaming platforms including Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Curious Films is a London-based premium factual television and documentary production company. It develops, produces, and delivers single films and multi-part documentary series commissioned by major UK broadcasters (BBC, Channel 4, Sky) and global streaming platforms (Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, A+E). Productions span true crime, celebrity biographies, science, social documentaries, and formatted factual entertainment.

Product overview

Curious Films is a multi-award-winning premium factual television and documentary production company based in London, co-founded by Dov Freedman and Charlie Russell in 2018. The company's portfolio consists of individual documentary films and multi-part documentary series produced for major UK and international broadcasters and streaming platforms including BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix, Disney+, and A+E. Productions span a range of factual genres including true crime (Lover Stalker Killer, The Man with 1000 Kids, Shoot to Kill, Running with the Devil), celebrity biographies (Reclaiming Amy, Caroline Flack: Her Life & Death, Being Frank, Paula, Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth), science and current affairs (AI Confidential with Hannah Fry, Confessions of a Brain Surgeon, Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry), sports documentaries (Squad Goals series), music documentaries (Boyzone: No Matter What), social documentaries (The People vs Climate Change, 7.7 Billion People & Counting, Wagspiracy: Vardy vs Rooney), and limited-access investigative series (Secrets of Penthouse, The Accused). The company also produces formatted documentary series such as the Squad Goals franchise. Each production is treated as a distinct product/offering, with no unified software platform or modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AI Confidential with Hannah Fry A three-part BBC Two documentary series in which Professor Hannah Fry investigates extraordinary stories from the frontlines of the AI revolution, exploring the real-world impact of artificial intelligence on human lives. Commissioned for BBC audiences.
• Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth A two-part Disney+ documentary following Caroline Flack's mother Christine as she investigates the truth about her daughter's final months, uncovering details about the pressures and failures that shaped her death. Commissioned for Disney+/Hulu streaming audiences.
• Confessions of a Brain Surgeon A BBC Horizon special in which world-renowned neurosurgeon Henry Marsh candidly discusses some of his most difficult cases, reflecting on his career after receiving his own life-threatening diagnosis. Commissioned for BBC audiences.
• Boyzone: No Matter What A three-part Sky Documentaries series telling the story of Boyzone through exclusive interviews with Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch, and Michael Graham. Commissioned for Sky Documentaries audiences.
• Shoot to Kill: Terror on the Tube A two-part Channel 4 documentary examining the Metropolitan Police shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes in the aftermath of the 2005 London bombings, featuring unprecedented access to the firearms officer who pulled the trigger. Commissioned for Channel 4 audiences.
• The Man with 1000 Kids A three-part Netflix documentary investigating Dutch YouTuber Jonathan Meijer, accused of fathering children through deceptive fertility clinic donations on a mass scale worldwide. Commissioned for Netflix global audiences; reached number one on Netflix US.
• Lover Stalker Killer A Netflix true crime documentary feature about a mechanic whose first experience with online dating leads to a chilling encounter with a woman who takes romantic obsession to deadly extremes. Commissioned for Netflix global audiences; reached number one most viewed film in US, UK and Germany.
• Secrets of Penthouse A four-part documentary series for Channel 4 and A+E revealing the rise and fall of Bob Guccione and the Penthouse magazine empire. Commissioned for Channel 4 and A+E Networks audiences.
• Paula A two-part Channel 4 documentary exploring the life, career, and legacy of TV presenter and author Paula Yates, drawing on previously unheard audio interviews recorded before her death. Commissioned for Channel 4 audiences.
• Wagspiracy: Vardy vs Rooney A BBC Three documentary exploring the secret workings of the tabloid press and public relations that led to the high-profile 'Wagatha Christie' dispute between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy. Commissioned for BBC Three audiences.
• Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee A Netflix Original documentary following tech mogul John McAfee as he went on the run from authorities, featuring hundreds of hours of never-before-broadcast footage. Commissioned for Netflix global audiences.
• The Accused: National Treasures on Trial A Channel 4 documentary examining Operation Yewtree and the impact of trial by media on Sir Cliff Richard, Paul Gambaccini, and Neil Fox, a decade after they were accused of historic sex crimes. Commissioned for Channel 4 audiences.
• Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry A BBC Two documentary in which Professor Hannah Fry, diagnosed with cervical cancer at 36, investigates whether current medical thinking about cancer diagnosis and treatment needs reassessing. Commissioned for BBC audiences; won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Presenter in 2023.
• Squad Goals A BBC Three documentary series following various women's football teams, including Dorking Ladies FC and West Ham Women, across multiple series. Commissioned for BBC Three audiences.
• Reclaiming Amy A BBC Two documentary marking the ten-year anniversary of Amy Winehouse's death, told through the eyes of her family and friends with never-before-heard testimony from her mother Janis. Commissioned for BBC audiences.
• Caroline Flack: Her Life & Death A Channel 4 documentary tribute to presenter Caroline Flack, telling the story of her life and the impact of fame, mental health issues, press, and social media on her. Commissioned for Channel 4 audiences.
• Being Frank: The Frank Gardner Story A BBC Two documentary marking fifteen years since security correspondent Frank Gardner was shot by Al-Qaeda, examining his life with paralysis and his journey with disability. Watched by 2 million viewers.
• 7.7 Billion People & Counting A BBC documentary with naturalist Chris Packham exploring whether the Earth can sustain the world's growing population heading toward 10 billion by 2050. Commissioned for BBC audiences.
• The People vs Climate Change A BBC Two documentary offering an intimate look at Climate Assembly UK, following 110 randomly selected citizens debating Britain's response to climate change, narrated by Carol Kirkwood. Commissioned for BBC audiences.
• Charlotte Church: My Family & Me A Channel 4 broadcast pilot in which singer Charlotte Church spends five days with her parents in a remote UK location, exploring family relationships. Commissioned for Channel 4 audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Number 1 most watched on Netflix US and globally for multiple productions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Grierson Trust - DocLab: New EntrantsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Curious Films proud to sponsor Grierson DocLab: New Entrants scheme, providing bursary-supported work placements for 18-25 year-olds aspiring to enter the documentary industry. Partnership run in partnership with 25 of the UK's leading production companies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dragonfly Film and Television: UK factual production company producing premium documentaries and formatted factual series for BBC, Channel 4, Netflix and streamers, overlapping directly with Curious' commissioner base and factual genres.
• Expectation Entertainment: UK indie producing premium factual, comedy and entertainment for broadcasters and streamers, overlapping with Curious on factual commissions and global platforms.
• Wonderhood Studios: London-based premium factual and entertainment indie working with major UK broadcasters and streamers; comparable in slate breadth and target commissioners.
• Proper Content: London factual indie producing premium documentaries and series for UK broadcasters and global streamers, with a comparable commissioner roster and factual-led model.
• KEO Films: Independent UK factual production company behind high-profile documentary series (Louis Theroux docs, true crime, current affairs) serving the same BBC/Channel 4/streamer mix as Curious.
• Raw TV: London-based premium factual and true crime indie whose Netflix slate (Don't F**k With Cats, The Tinder Swindler, The Devil on Trial) closely mirrors Curious Films' true-crime-for-global-streamers model.
• Studio Lambert: Award-winning UK indie producing premium factual (Gogglebox, Race Across the World, The Circle) for UK broadcasters and global platforms, with a similar factual-led slate strategy.
• Voltage TV Productions: London factual indie producing premium documentaries and formatted series for BBC, Channel 4 and streamers; a closely comparable size and commissioner mix to Curious Films.

Broad incumbents

• Pulse Films: Larger UK production group spanning factual, features and branded content with extensive streamer relationships (Netflix, Amazon); operates at greater scale than Curious but competes for similar premium factual commissions.
• All3Media: Large UK-based global production group encompassing multiple factual and entertainment labels; competes with Curious for the same commissioner relationships while operating at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/filmscurious
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curious-films
• Instagraminstagram.com/curiousfilms1/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Curious Films