What Bonafide Films does

Bonafide Films Ltd is a London-headquartered, privately held independent production company founded in December 2010 by Managing Director Margery Bone (originally in Newcastle before relocating to London). The company develops and produces premium scripted television drama and feature films, anchored by long-running creative partnerships with BAFTA-recognized writers including Peter Moffat, Peter Straughan, and Nicôle Lecky. Its catalogue spans six-part series and feature/short films commissioned by UK broadcasters (BBC, Sky, Channel 4, UKTV) and distributed internationally through Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, BBC America, Canal Plus, and ZDF Neo, with first-look distribution deals with Lionsgate UK and ZDF Enterprises and BBC Studios handling Mood's international sales.

The company's business model is a B2B project-commission model. Revenue derives from production fees and co-production financing on commissioned drama, with no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on standard production infrastructure plus a WordPress website, Vimeo/YouTube-hosted trailers, and a Twitter presence for industry communications. Customer concentration is high by structure: a small set of repeat commissioners (BBC, Sky/Comcast, Amazon, AMC Networks) account for the bulk of commissions, and with 1-10 employees, each greenlight materially moves annual revenue. The 2022 launch of Mood with AMC Networks and BBC America, which then swept BAFTA, RTS, and Broadcast Awards in 2022-2023, is the most significant commercial and reputational milestone to date.

Forward activity indicates continued slate expansion rather than scale-up: the company maintains a recurring Channel 4 / Northumbria / New Writing North writer mentorship, holds first-look distribution deals with Lionsgate UK and ZDF Enterprises, and has commissioned BAFTA-winner Nick Leather on a 2025 Encrochat drama. Leadership was strengthened in 2022 with the addition of Executive Producer Tom Dunbar and Development Executive Benjamin Adori, supporting a pipeline of writer-led premium drama rather than a high-volume commissioning model.

Name

Bonafide Films

Legal name

Bonafide Films Ltd

Website

https://bonafide.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bonafide Films is a London-based independent production company, founded in 2010 by Margery Bone, that develops and produces premium scripted TV drama and feature films with BAFTA-winning writers for UK broadcasters (BBC, Sky, Channel 4, UKTV) and international partners (Amazon, AMC Networks, BBC America).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scripted TV Drama and Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Scripted TV Series Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Development & Packaging (IP Sourcing, Script, Attachments) (MPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Scripted TV production
• Drama series production
• Feature film production
• Broadcast commissioning
• Indie production company

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

Revenue model

1. TV Drama Production Commissions: Bonafide Films generates revenue by producing commissioned TV drama series for UK broadcasters (BBC, Amazon, Sky, UKTV) and international partners (AMC Networks, BBC America). Revenue comes from production fees, co-production financing, and international distribution through partners like BBC Studios.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bonafide Films is an independent scripted production company that develops and produces premium TV drama series, single dramas, short films and feature films for UK and international broadcasters and streaming platforms. The company acquires commissions by pairing distinctive story ideas with exceptional writing talent and securing a commercial broadcaster home for each production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mood Six-part music-based drama series commissioned by BBC Three and co-produced with AMC Networks and BBC America, written by and starring Nicôle Lecky, targeted at primetime broadcast and streaming audiences.
• The Last Post Six-part drama series written by Peter Moffat, co-produced with The Forge Entertainment, commissioned by BBC One and released worldwide as an Amazon Original, set in the last days of British military presence in Aden.
• Undercover Six-part comedy series co-produced with Baby Cow Television for UKTV's Dave channel, written by Sacha Alexander, Andrew Milligan and Mark Staheli.
• Nosferatu in Love Tragicomic single drama written and directed by Peter Straughan, starring Mark Strong, commissioned by Sky Arts for the Sky Atlantic Playhouse strand.
• Talking To The Dead Two-part crime drama produced in association with Warp Films for Sky Living, adapted from the novel by Harry Bingham.
• Nocturne Feature film co-produced with Boo Productions (Greece), premiered at the Athens International Film Festival in 2016.
• Gee Gee 35mm short film funded by Film4 and the UK Film Council with support from Northern Film and Media, adapted from a John Cheever short story and written and directed by Peter Straughan.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mood won BAFTA Best Mini-Series 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Lionsgate UKmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 January 2017First look deal with Lionsgate UK for worldwide distribution. Deal strengthens Lionsgate's commitment to British television and provides Bonafide with global distribution support.
• The Forge EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015Co-production partnership with The Forge Entertainment on Peter Moffat's The Last Post (6-part series for BBC One/Amazon). Both companies served as executive producers alongside Bonafide's Margery Bone and Elwen Rowlands.
• Baby Cow TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2015Co-production partnership with Baby Cow Television (Steve Coogan and Harry Thompson's company) on Undercover comedy series for UKTV Dave.
• Warp FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2013Co-production partnership with Warp Films on Talking To The Dead (2-part crime drama for Sky Living). Warp Films is an established UK production company known for productions including This Is England series.
• BBC StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC Studios serves as international distributor for Mood, Bonafide's BAFTA-winning series. The series was co-produced with AMC Networks and BBC America.
• ZDF EnterprisesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst look deal with ZDF Enterprises giving ZDFE exclusive first-look rights to Bonafide's scripted development slate.
• Film4coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partnership with Film4 on Peter Straughan feature adaptations including The Teleportation Accident and Bounty. Film4 provides funding and commissioning support for film projects.
• Boo ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partnership with Boo Productions (Greek production company) on Nocturne feature film. Nocturne premiered at Athens International Film Festival 2016.
• DC MoorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partnership with playwright DC Moore to adapt J.G. Ballard's Super-Cannes novel into 6-part TV drama series. Moore won 2016 Writers' Guild Award for Best Long Form TV Drama.
• New Writing NorthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with New Writing North for Channel 4/Northumbria University Writing for Television Awards. Bonafide mentors winning writers as part of the scheme.
• Channel 4minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Channel 4 and Northumbria University for Writing for Television Awards. Bonafide provides 9-month mentorship to winning writer.
• Northumbria UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Northumbria University for Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards as part of Northern Writers Awards programme.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• All3Media: US (Liberty Global/Lionsgate)–owned global indie production group with a UK scripted division. Operates as a much larger, capitalised counterparty in the same UK scripted-commissioning market, highlighting the structural scale gap Bonafide competes within.

Direct peers

• House Productions: UK indie of Tessa Ross and Stephen Woolley producing prestige scripted drama (e.g., Spencer). Comparable size and positioning — premium literary adaptations and scripted drama for major UK/international commissioners.
• See-Saw Films: UK/Australian independent scripted production company behind The Power of the Dog, Slow Horses. Comparable premium indie with BAFTA/Pulitzer credentials producing limited series for streamers and broadcasters globally.
• Various Artists Limited: UK drama indie (Humpty Dumpty / Stephen Graham collaborations, The Nest, Help). Comparable scripted indie scale and develops premium television with major broadcasters in the same London commissioning ecosystem.
• Clerkenwell Films: UK indie led by Dede Gardner-friendly team behind Fleabag. Directly comparable as a writer- and showrunner-led scripted production shop where key senior personnel (Zander Levy) had executive tenures before consulting for Bonafide.
• Baby Cow Productions: Steve Coogan and Henry Normal's independent UK scripted production company. Directly comparable — co-produced Undercover with Bonafide for UKTV Dave and operates in the same small-indie-with-top-talent segment of UK drama production.
• Warp Films: Mark Herbert's independent UK production outfit (This Is England, Four Lions). Co-produced Talking To The Dead for Sky Living with Bonafide — equivalent small-indie profile producing premium UK drama on similar commissioner relationships.
• Sister Pictures: Producer of Chernobyl, Fleabag and Landscapers, sister to SISTER production group. Closely comparable premium scripted indie competing for UK/global streamer drama commissions with the same talent-first model.
• The Forge Entertainment: Independent UK scripted drama company (George Ormond, George Faber). Co-produced The Last Post with Bonafide for BBC One/Amazon, operating the same writer-driven prime-time BBC drama model and competing for the same commissions.

Emerging players

• Black Camel Pictures: Scottish/UK indie production outfit working on comedy-drama and literary adaptation (recent move from a senior Development Executive who joined Bonafide). Comparable as a small indie developing scripted projects for UK broadcasters.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bonafide_Films

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Bonafide Films