ORA ET LABORA

What ORA ET LABORA does

Ora Et Labora is a privately-held UK audio-visual production company founded in 2005 by broadcaster Dermot O'Leary and international talent agent John Noel, headquartered in Kentish Town, London. The company's core business is producing high-profile radio programmes for BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6Music — including Dermot's Saturday Breakfast (3.5m weekly listeners), The Zoe Ball Show, Rylan On Saturday, and Vinyl Revival — alongside television production via a partnership with Craft Films (the Reel Stories documentary series on BBC Two/BBC Music), and podcast production for Audible, Audioboom, and Acast.

The company's underlying capability is conventional audio and video production for broadcast and on-demand formats, supported by an extensive celebrity-presenter roster and direct relationships with UK public broadcasters. There is no proprietary technology platform or AI component; the production model is talent- and relationship-driven rather than technology-driven.

Ora Et Labora generates revenue through production fees and licensing from broadcasters (BBC Radio 2, 6Music, BBC Two/BBC Music), podcast licensing to Audible and other platforms, ongoing royalty income from six Saturday Sessions CDs released with Sony/BBC Worldwide (300,000+ copies sold), and professional fees from the Dermot O'Leary DJ Bandwagon for festivals and private events. The company operates with a very small core team (1–10 employees, essentially two principals plus contractors), no disclosed institutional investors or venture funding, and serves broadcasters, podcast platforms, and live-event organisers.

Name

ORA ET LABORA

Legal name

Ora et Labora

Website

https://oraetlaboramedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ora Et Labora is a UK-based audio-visual production company co-owned by Dermot O'Leary and John Noel, producing radio programmes for BBC Radio 2 and 6Music, TV documentaries (Reel Stories) for BBC Two, and podcasts for Audible and other platforms, supported by a roster of celebrity presenters.

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. Radio Production: Producing high-profile radio programmes for BBC Radio 2 and 6Music since 2005. Revenue from production fees and licensing to broadcasters.
2. TV Production: Producing TV shows including Reel Stories series for BBC Two/BBC Music in partnership with Craft Films.
3. Podcast Production: Producing podcasts for Audible.co.uk and other platforms. People, Just People podcast with Dermot O'Leary and various other podcast productions.
4. Saturday Sessions CDs: Released 6 double albums with Sony/BBC Worldwide selling over 300,000 copies. Physical and digital music media sales.
5. DJ Services: Dermot O'Leary DJ Bandwagon available for private events, festivals, and corporate functions. Hire-for-hire party DJ services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ora Et Labora is an award-winning UK production company that produces radio programmes for BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6Music, television documentaries for BBC Two/BBC Music, podcasts for Audible and other platforms, physical music albums in partnership with Sony/BBC Worldwide, and live DJ event services through the Dermot O'Leary DJ Bandwagon. The company works with a roster of high-profile presenters to deliver celebrity-led broadcast and on-demand audio-visual content.

Product overview

Ora Et Labora is an award-winning production company specializing in audio-visual media production. The company operates across three core product categories: Radio Programs (producing shows for BBC Radio 2 and 6Music including The Dermot O'Leary Show, Dermot's Saturday Breakfast, Rylan On Saturday, and The Zoe Ball Show), Television Series (producing the Reel Stories documentary format featuring celebrities watching their career archives), and Podcasts (producing various podcast series including People Just People, Tom Allen's Room of Gifts, Soundtracking, and Simon Mayo's Books of the Year). Additionally, the company produces physical music albums (Saturday Sessions CDs with Sony/BBC Worldwide), provides DJ services through The Dermot O'Leary DJ Bandwagon, and produces live events such as Dermot's Day of Dance for Comic Relief.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Dermot O'Leary Show A Saturday afternoon BBC Radio 2 show that aired from 2005 to 2017, featuring over 1,000 live music sessions from UK debuting acts and international music legends. Produced for BBC Radio 2 audiences.
• Dermot's Saturday Breakfast A Saturday morning BBC Radio 2 show featuring studio guests, phone calls, live sessions, and regular features such as The Mystery Voice, One Foot In The Rave, and Car Wars. Reaches 3.5 million weekly listeners.
• Rylan On Saturday A BBC Radio 2 show airing Saturday afternoons featuring a mix of dance music, conversation, competitions, and listener phone calls.
• The Zoe Ball Show

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.5 million weekly listeners for Dermot's Saturday Breakfast
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Craft FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Craft Films for TV production. Together they made Reel Stories: Kylie Minogue for BBC 2/BBC Music, expanding into TV production beyond radio and podcasts.
• BBC Radio 2coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary broadcaster partner for radio productions since 2005. Shows include Dermot's Saturday Breakfast, The Zoe Ball Show, Rylan On Saturday, and various guest-hosted programmes reaching millions of weekly listeners.
• BBC 6MusiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecondary radio broadcast partner for programmes including Vinyl Revival with Pete Paphides and other music-focused productions.
• BBC Two / BBC MusiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTV broadcast partner for Reel Stories series featuring major music artists including Kylie Minogue, Noel Gallagher, Rod Stewart, Dave Grohl, Sting, Pet Shop Boys, Take That, and Jon Bon Jovi.
• Audible (Amazon)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast production partner for Audible.co.uk. Producing People, Just People podcast hosted by Dermot O'Leary with various celebrity guests, available exclusively on Audible.
• Sony/BBC WorldwideminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for Saturday Sessions CD releases. 6 double albums released with Sony/BBC Worldwide, selling over 300,000 copies featuring exclusive performances from BBC studios.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ora-et-labora-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 ORA ET LABORA