What Free@Last TV does

Free@Last TV Ltd is an independent scripted television production company founded in 2001 and headquartered in London, with a secondary office in Glasgow established in 2021. The company produces scripted drama series for UK broadcasters — Sky, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, UKTV — and international streaming platforms, principally Acorn TV (AMC Networks). It has produced over 500 hours of television across its history. Its flagship series is Agatha Raisin, a comedy-crime drama based on M.C. Beaton's novels starring Ashley Jensen, which has aired four seasons on Sky One in the UK and Acorn TV in the US, with international distribution to France 3, ZDF Neo (Germany), and ABC Australia. The company is creator, producer, and rights holder; co-production partnerships are managed with Mammoth Screen (Series 1 of Agatha Raisin), Company Pictures (Series 2 onward), and Quadrant (Classic Crime Club). Worldwide distribution is handled by All3Media International, with Sky Studios holding a multi-year development and distribution deal signed in 2019.

The company generates revenue primarily through broadcaster commissioning fees, co-production revenue shares, and distribution royalties from international sales; pricing and contract economics are not publicly disclosed. Its customer base is B2B, comprising commissioners and SVOD platforms. Free@Last TV holds adaptation rights to a deep library of literary IP — Agatha Raisin, Inspector French, The Classic Crime Club (HarperCollins archive), Perlman, The Flight of the Falcon, First Frost, Black Moss, and others — providing a multi-year development pipeline. Beyond its core scripted drama business, it operates The Format Factory, a sister company launched in 2017 for unscripted entertainment and factual formats with international distribution via DRG. The company is privately held and founder-controlled: Barry Ryan serves as MD and Creative Director and David Walton as Executive Producer and Head of Development, with no disclosed parent company or institutional investor backing. Production operations include both London and Glasgow sites, with current projects covering crime, mystery, comedy, thriller, fantasy/folk horror, and period drama.

Name

Free@Last TV

Legal name

Free@Last TV Ltd

Website

https://freeatlasttv.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scripted Television Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production (MPADABAD)

Keywords

• Scripted television production
• Drama series development
• Literary IP adaptation
• Content production services
• Co-production partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TV Production / Co-production: Free@Last TV produces scripted drama series and earns revenue through commissioning fees from broadcasters, co-production revenue shares, and distribution fees from international sales via All3Media International. The company produces series for Sky, Acorn TV, BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, earning production fees and profit participation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Free@Last TV is an independent scripted television production company that develops and produces drama series — frequently adapting literary properties such as M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin, Reginald Hill's Death of a Dormouse, Freeman Wills Crofts' Inspector French and Daphne du Maurier's The Flight of the Falcon — for UK broadcasters (Sky, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, UKTV) and SVOD platforms such as Acorn TV. It earns revenue through commissioning fees from broadcasters, co-production revenue shares with partners such as Mammoth Screen and Company Pictures, and international distribution fees via All3Media International.

Product overview

Free@Last TV is an independent scripted television production company established in 2001 in London, having produced over 500 hours of television. Their portfolio centers on their flagship series Agatha Raisin, a comedy-crime drama based on M.C. Beaton's novels starring Ashley Jensen. The company operates across multiple genres including crime, drama, comedy, thriller, and fantasy adaptations, with shows like The Classic Crime Club (anthology of HarperCollins crime novels), Inspector French, Spilsbury, and The Flight of the Falcon. They also develop original content like Deadbeat Dads and The Tangle, alongside biopics such as Lonely Boy (Benny Hill). Their sister company The Format Factory handles unscripted formats. Productions are co-produced with partners including Mammoth Screen, Company Pictures, and distributed by All3Media International, with broadcast partnerships across Sky, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Acorn TV.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Format Factory: A sister company to Free@Last TV Ltd, described as a one stop shop for format ideas in entertainment and factual media

Products and services

• Agatha Raisin Flagship comedy-crime drama series starring Ashley Jensen, based on M.C. Beaton's bestselling novels, following a former PR guru turned private investigator solving crimes in the Cotswolds village of Carsely. Commissioned by Sky One (Series 1) and Acorn TV/AMC Networks (Series 2, 3 and 4), with Acorn TV marking its first original renewal and distribution through All3Media International. Produced for broadcasters and SVOD platforms across multiple seasons.
• The Wrong Mrs Calloway Returnable six-part comedy drama written by Larry Barker in which a murder victim, with the help of an Angel named Toby, solves her own murder; an 'ultimate cold case' format designed for broadcaster commission.
• Never the Bride Six-episode drama/comedy series with fantasy elements, based on Paul Magrs' books about Brenda — the re-imagined jilted bride of Frankenstein's monster.
• Charles Paris Crime comedy-drama series based on Simon Brett's novels featuring cynical actor Charles Paris as an amateur detective.
• Death of a Dormouse Three-part thriller adapted from Reginald Hill's classic novel about a woman discovering her late husband's dark secrets.
• Lowlife Returnable anthology drama series set across three decades in London's casino world, based on David Petty's memoir.
• Spilsbury Returnable crime drama series based on the life of Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the founding father of forensic science, with finance from the Wellcome Trust.
• Inspector French Crime drama series based on Freeman Wills Crofts' classic detective novels, reputedly Agatha Christie's favourite fictional detective.
• The Classic Crime Club Anthology TV series umbrella brand for adaptations of HarperCollins' classic 'Golden Age' crime novels, with each book adapted as a stand-alone feature-length drama. Co-developed with HarperCollins and Quadrant Productions.
• The Other Twin LGBT-themed mystery drama adapted from Lucy V. Hay's novel set in Brighton, about a woman investigating her sister's death.
• The Cait Morgan Mysteries Crime series based on Cathy Ace's novels featuring Welsh-cum-Canadian detective Cait Morgan and her husband Bud Anderson.
• The Flight of the Falcon Drama adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel set in southern Italy, in active development with Christopher Villiers.
• The Women Character-driven crime series about Britain's first female police officers in 1916 Grantham, Lincolnshire.
• Perlman Three-series drama based on Campbell Armstrong's Glasgow Novels, following detective Lou Perlman on the dark streets of Glasgow.
• Lonely Boy Four-part drama series exploring the life of comedy legend Benny Hill, written by Caleb Ranson; in active development.
• First Frost Prequel series to A Touch of Frost, revealing Jack Frost's early life and investigations, starring Warren Brown.
• Rockstar Ending Returnable TV series based on N.A. Rossi's dystopian novel series set in 2027 London, featuring social media and AI manipulation themes.
• Death and Croissants Murder mystery series set in France, adapted from Ian Moore's Follet Valley novels.
• The Tangle Dark fantasy / folk horror series adapted from Justin Robertson's novel, about a divine spirit awakening in a secluded English village.
• Black Moss Crime thriller straddling two timelines (1990 and present), centred on a child murder at Black Moss Reservoir in Manchester.
• Deadbeat Dads Original drama series about three deadbeat fathers who must care for their deceased ex-girlfriend's children after a car accident in Birmingham.
• The Format Factory Sister company to Free@Last TV Ltd offering unscripted formats for entertainment and factual media — a one-stop shop for format ideas, launched at MIPTV 2017 in Cannes.

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Together! 2012 CICminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2019Free@Last TV sponsored the Kat Awards at the Together! 2019 Disability Film Festival in Stratford, London.
• Sky StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2019Sky Studios entered into multi-year development and distribution deals with Free@Last TV, the creator of the Agatha Raisin series. The deal covers co-development of new series and distribution of Free@Last TV content. NBCUniversal Global Distribution sells the content worldwide.
• HarperCollins PublisherscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2019Free@Last TV joined forces with HarperCollins and Quadrant to develop 'The Classic Crime Club' — a new international TV brand based on titles from HarperCollins' archive of classic crime novels. Each book will be adapted as a stand-alone feature-length TV drama under the anthology series umbrella.
• Quadrant (Production)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2019Quadrant Productions co-develops The Classic Crime Club anthology series with Free@Last TV and HarperCollins.
• DRG (Distribution Group)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2018The Format Factory (sister company of Free@Last TV) entered a partnership with UK distributor DRG to handle international distribution of unscripted format shows.
• The Format FactoryminorOthers · 1 April 2017The Format Factory is a sister company to Free@Last TV Ltd, described as 'a one stop shop for format ideas in entertainment and factual media.' It was launched at MIPTV 2017 in Cannes as an unscripted formats company.
• Mammoth ScreencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree@Last TV partnered with Mammoth Screen to create the pilot episode and Series 1 of Agatha Raisin for Sky One.
• Company Pictures (All3Media)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcorn TV commissioned the second and third series of Agatha Raisin with Free@Last TV partnering with Company Pictures. Company Pictures' Michele Buck serves as executive producer on Agatha Raisin Series 4.
• All3Media InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAll3Media International distributes the Agatha Raisin series worldwide. The deal between Sky and All3Media International secured UK rights for Sky One to air new Agatha Raisin seasons.
• Acorn Media Enterprises / Acorn TVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcorn TV commissioned Series 2, 3, and 4 of Agatha Raisin, marking the streaming service's first original renewal. Catherine Mackin from Acorn Media Enterprises serves as executive producer.
• SagafilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSky Studios entered into multi-year deals with both Free@Last TV and Icelandic producer Sagafilm. Both companies were part of the same Sky Studios deal package.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bad Wolf: Welsh scripted drama indie producing His Dark Materials, A Discovery of Witches, and Industry. Compares as a comparable UK scripted drama specialist working with premium broadcasters and SVODs on returnable drama franchises.
• Sister Pictures: UK indie producer of Chernobyl, The Split, and Giri/Haji. Compares as a UK boutique scripted drama indie with a similar profile of premium, multi-platform commissions and similar relationship-driven commissioning model.
• Mammoth Screen: UK independent scripted drama producer behind Poldark, Victoria, Noughts + Crosses, and The Serpent. Direct comparable because Mammoth Screen is Free@Last TV's own co-production partner on Agatha Raisin Series 1 and operates with the same commissioning, broadcaster, and literary adaptation model.
• Left Bank Pictures: Sony Pictures Television-owned UK indie producing The Crown, Outlander, and Wallander. Compares as a similarly sized UK scripted drama producer operating in the same premium literary-adaptation and broadcaster-commission space.
• Company Pictures (All3Media): All3Media-owned scripted drama indie behind Shameless, Skins, and The Missing. Direct comparable because Company Pictures is Free@Last TV's co-production partner on Agatha Raisin Series 2-4 and operates the same UK drama production + international distribution model.
• Carnival Films: UK scripted drama producer of Downton Abbey, The Last Kingdom, and Poirot. Compares to Free@Last TV as a similarly sized UK indie producing returnable, premium scripted drama for global broadcasters and SVODs, often based on literary IP.

Broad incumbents

• ITV Studios: In-house production arm of ITV and owner of Mammoth Screen. Comparable as a UK scripted drama incumbent with deep commissioning relationships across UK broadcasters and a global distribution footprint — a potential acquirer or competitor for Free@Last TV's commissions.
• BBC Studios: Commercial production and distribution arm of the BBC. Comparable as a UK scripted drama incumbent with global distribution and a deep catalogue of literary-adapted drama (Sherlock, Les Misérables) that competes for the same commissioner budget as Free@Last TV.
• All3Media: Large UK indie production group whose subsidiary Company Pictures co-produces Agatha Raisin with Free@Last TV and whose distribution arm All3Media International handles Free@Last TV's international sales. Comparable as a wider incumbent spanning scripted drama, distribution, and format production.

Regional players

• Acorn Media Enterprises: Production/distribution arm of Acorn TV (US-focused SVOD). Comparable as a regional commissioning counterparty to Free@Last TV — Acorn TV has been Agatha Raisin's primary US commissioner since Series 2, mirroring Free@Last TV's UK-broadcaster dependence for commission flow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FreeatLastTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/freeatlasttv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-last-tv

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Free@Last TV