What Firebird Pictures does

Firebird Pictures is a London-based scripted television production company founded in 2019 by former BBC executives Elizabeth Kilgarriff (CEO) and Craig Holleworth (COO). The company develops and produces character-led contemporary drama series for UK and international broadcasters and streaming platforms, with a stated emphasis on diverse voices and bold storytelling. Its production slate includes The Jetty and Wahala (BBC One), Wilderness (Amazon Prime Video, 240+ territories), Wild Cherry (BBC, with Paramount+ taking international rights), Outrageous (UKTV and BritBox), Consent (Channel 4), and Life and Death in the Warehouse (BBC Three, RTS Single Drama winner 2023). In October 2022, BBC Studios took full control of Firebird, making it a wholly owned production label within BBC Studios' indie stable alongside Lookout Point, Baby Cow, House Productions, Clerkenwell Films, and Sid Gentle Films.

The company's underlying technology is creative development and scripted production management, not software. Operations span project origination, writer and director attachment, development of IP, production execution, and licensing of completed content. Distribution is handled by BBC Studios globally, with Firebird benefiting from preferred access to BBC commissions and the parent's international sales infrastructure. Strategic IP additions include the 2023 format rights acquisition from CJ ENM to remake the Korean drama 'Train' for the UK market, and the in-development supernatural adaptation 'Puffball' with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm attached to write.

The revenue model is production-fee and content licensing. Firebird earns through production fees on commissioned series, licensing of broadcasting and streaming rights to UK and international buyers, and back-end participation in IP value. Customers are exclusively enterprise buyers: BBC (UK linear and iPlayer), Amazon Studios/Prime Video, UKTV, BritBox, Hulu, Paramount+, and Channel 4. The business model is project-driven rather than recurring-revenue, with revenue concentration heavily weighted toward the BBC as both primary commissioner and 100% parent.

Name

Firebird Pictures

Legal name

Firebird Pictures

Website

https://firebirdpictures.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Firebird Pictures is a London-based, BBC Studios-owned scripted television production company founded in 2019 that develops and produces character-led contemporary drama series for UK broadcasters and global streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and BritBox.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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

Revenue model

1. Content Production and Licensing: Firebird Pictures develops and produces scripted television series, selling broadcasting and streaming rights to UK networks (BBC, UKTV) and international platforms (Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BritBox). Revenue is generated through production fees, licensing deals, and international distribution rights managed by BBC Studios.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Firebird Pictures is a London-based scripted television production company that develops and produces character-led contemporary drama series and factual dramas for UK and international broadcasters and streaming platforms. The company pitches and commissions series with BBC, Amazon Prime Video, UKTV, BritBox, Hulu, and Channel 4, generating revenue through production fees, content licensing, and international distribution rights handled by BBC Studios.

Product overview

Firebird Pictures is a BBC Studios-owned scripted production company specializing in character-led contemporary series for UK and international audiences. The company produces a portfolio of distinct drama series and factual dramas including: The Jetty (BBC mystery thriller), Outrageous (UKTV/BritBox Mitford sisters drama), Wild Cherry (BBC mystery thriller), Wilderness (Amazon Prime Video), Consent (Channel 4 factual drama), Wahala (BBC1), and Life and Death in the Warehouse (BBC Three). These productions are developed and produced for major UK and international broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Jetty Four-part BBC mystery thriller written by Cat Jones, starring Jenna Coleman as Detective Ember Manning. Examines themes of sexual morality, age of consent, grooming, identity and memory. Commissioned for BBC One and distributed internationally.
• Outrageous Six-part series (6x60) co-commissioned by UKTV and BritBox International. True story of the Mitford sisters, bringing an uncensored story of family betrayals, public scandal, and political extremism to screen.
• Wild Cherry Six-part BBC mystery thriller written by Nicole Lecky. Follows Lorna and Juliet, two mothers whose daughters are implicated in a scandal at their exclusive private school. Explores mother/daughter relationships in a world of privilege.
• Wilderness Six-part Amazon Prime Video series written by Marnie Dickens. Twisted love story where a dream holiday turns into a living nightmare when a wife learns of her husband's affair.
• Consent Single 60-minute factual drama for Channel 4. Explores sexual expectations, consent, and toxic masculinity in a private school environment. Inspired by real-life testimonies of young people.
• Wahala Six-part BBC1 adaptation of Nikki May's bestselling novel. Follows three Nigerian-British female friends in London whose world is disrupted by a charismatic new acquaintance.
• Life and Death in the Warehouse 1x60 BBC Three factual drama exploring working conditions in distribution centres. Hard-hitting exploration of surveillance and bullying of warehouse workers.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Jetty was one of the BBC's highest rating new dramas of 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CJ ENMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2023Firebird Pictures signed a contract with CJ ENM (the Korean entertainment company behind Parasite) to acquire format rights to remake the Korean drama 'Train' for the UK market. CJ ENM is a global IP powerhouse with a track record of successful drama productions.
• CJ ENMminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 18 April 2023Firebird Pictures licensed the format rights for 'Train' from CJ ENM to create a UK version of the popular Korean drama about parallel universes.
• BBC StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2022BBC Studios took full control of Firebird Pictures in October 2022. Firebird operates as a BBC Studios owned production label, benefiting from preferred access to BBC commissions, development funding, and global distribution support through BBC Studios' infrastructure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Left Bank Pictures: Sony-owned UK scripted producer of The Crown and The Investigation. Comparable as a top-tier UK scripted indie with global streaming relationships and high-budget productions.
• Sister Pictures: Independent UK scripted drama company founded by Jane Featherstone, producer of Chernobyl and The Power. Comparable in scale, slate ambition, and premium drama focus, though outside BBC Studios.
• Lookout Point: Fellow BBC Studios-owned scripted drama label producing prestige UK series such as Gentleman Jack and Wolf Hall. Directly comparable as a sister indie within the same parent, competing for the same BBC Drama commissions.
• New Pictures: All3Media-owned UK scripted production company behind The Missing and Baptiste. Comparable as a mid-sized UK scripted indie with established broadcaster and streamer relationships.
• House Productions: BBC Studios-owned scripted indie producing UK drama including The Third Day and Help. Direct sister-label competitor with a similar character-led drama positioning and BBC commissioning access.
• Drama Republic: UK scripted drama producer behind The Fall, Doctor Foster, and The Split. Comparable as a mid-sized UK scripted indie targeting both linear and international streaming commissions.
• Baby Cow Productions: BBC Studios-owned production company producing scripted comedy-drama content. Sister label within BBC Studios and the closest comparable scripted label in the same parent stable.
• Clerkenwell Films: BBC Studios-owned production company behind The End of the F***ing World and other scripted series. Sister label competing within the same BBC Studios scripted portfolio.
• Sid Gentle Films: BBC Studios-owned scripted production company known for Killing Eve. Another sister indie in the same BBC Studios stable, focused on premium UK drama with global appeal.
• Element Pictures: Irish/UK scripted drama producer behind Normal People and Conversations with Friends. Comparable in character-led, premium international drama positioning across UK linear and global streamers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FirebirdPicture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firebird-pictures
• Instagraminstagram.com/firebirdpictures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Firebird Pictures