Twenty Six 03

What Twenty Six 03 does

Twenty Six 03 Entertainment is a UK-based independent television production company founded in 2015 by Duncan Gray, headquartered in Gateshead with a London satellite office. The company specialises in non-scripted entertainment, producing observational documentaries, reality challenge formats, and celebrity-fronted factual entertainment targeting youth and young-adult demographics. Its catalogue includes Angels of the North (BBC Three, three series), You vs Chris and Kem (ITV2), Me, My Brother and Our Balls (BBC Three), The Full Treatment (ITV2), Beauty Blowout (BBC Three), and the original Bring The Noise (Sky 1).

The company's output is built around original format development rather than software or technology platforms; the core production capability combines creative development, talent booking, and on-location production for UK broadcasters. Many productions are designed for social media amplification, including viewer-submitted challenges via platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, which has driven significant earned-media engagement (e.g., over 35 million Facebook views for a clip from Me, My Brother and Our Balls).

Twenty Six 03 generates revenue through broadcast commissioning fees paid by UK networks, primarily BBC Three and ITV2, under a professional-services model where production companies are paid a fee to deliver commissioned content. The company was originally established in 2017 as a joint venture with Canadian distributor Cineflix Media, but in December 2019 founder Duncan Gray took majority control, with Cineflix retaining a minority stake and limited international distribution rights for legacy projects. Day-to-day operations are led by founder Duncan Gray and Managing Director Antonia Hurford-Jones, whose combined industry relationships across BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, and ABC are the company's primary commercial leverage.

Name

Twenty Six 03

Legal name

Twenty Six 03 Entertainment

Website

https://twentysix03.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Twenty Six 03 is a UK independent television production company that develops and produces non-scripted entertainment formats, including reality and observational documentaries, primarily for BBC Three and ITV2, targeting youth audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Short-Form Documentaries (MPADADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational & Instructional Nonfiction (MPADADAL), Teen/Youth-Oriented Channels (Ages 12–17) (MPABAKAC)

Keywords

• Television production services
• Non-scripted entertainment
• Reality TV formats
• Documentary series production
• Broadcast content development

Headquarters

HQ city

Gateshead

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. Broadcast Commissioning Revenue: The company generates revenue by producing commissioned content for UK broadcasters including the BBC and ITV. Productions such as 'Angels of the North' (BBC Three), 'You vs Chris and Kem' (ITV2), and 'Me, My Brother and Our Balls' (BBC Three) were commissioned and produced under this model. Revenue is derived from production fees paid by broadcasters for commissioned content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Twenty Six 03 is an independent UK television production company that develops and produces original non-scripted entertainment formats for major UK broadcasters. Its portfolio includes observational documentary series, reality challenge formats, and celebrity-fronted documentary specials commissioned by BBC Three, ITV2, and Sky 1, targeting youth and mainstream entertainment audiences.

Product overview

Twenty Six 03 is a television production company that creates and produces mainstream entertainment content for the global market. The company operates as a single-brand production studio producing original content across multiple UK broadcasters. Its portfolio includes observational documentary series (Angels of the North), reality challenge formats (You vs Chris and Kem), celebrity-fronted documentary specials (Me, My Brother and Our Balls, The Full Treatment), and music/entertainment formats (Bring The Noise, Beauty Blowout). The company produces content for BBC Three, ITV2, and Sky 1, targeting youth and mainstream entertainment audiences. Twenty Six 03 does not offer a SaaS platform or software products; its offerings consist exclusively of produced television content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Angels of the North BBC Three observational documentary series following the daily operations and staff dynamics at Longlox salon in Gateshead, featuring owner Sammyjo Pearson and her team of young stylists, documenting hairdressing work, staff management, and personal lives.
• You vs Chris and Kem ITV2 reality challenge format where Love Island stars Chris Hughes and Kem Cetinay travel the country in a 'Bro Mobile' taking on spontaneous challenges sent by viewers via social media in real time.
• Me, My Brother and Our Balls BBC Three one-off documentary following Chris Hughes and his brother Ben Hughes as they explore testicular cancer awareness and male fertility issues after Chris's public examination went viral.
• The Full Treatment ITV2 six-part mental health series hosted by Love Island winners Kem Cetinay and Amber Gill, featuring conversations with celebrities about mental health while giving them makeovers, produced in partnership with the CALM charity.
• Beauty Blowout: The Races BBC Three single documentary following stylists at a Liverpool-based salon as their clients prepare for Grand National's Ladies Day.
• Bring The Noise Sky 1 music and comedy entertainment format; the first major commission won by Twenty Six 03 when founded in 2015.

Quantifiable outcome

• Angels of the North achieved over 7 million streaming views before series 3 premiere
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Northern Ireland ScreenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Ireland Screen partnered with Twenty Six 03 and BBC3 on the production of 'The Fast and The Farmer (ish)', a tractor competition format (working title) commissioned as a pilot and scaled up immediately to 7x30 minutes. Northern Ireland Screen provided co-production support for the project.
• BBC ThreecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBBC Three is the primary commissioning broadcaster for Twenty Six 03's youth-oriented content, including Angels of the North (8x15, later expanded to series 2 and 3), Me My Brother and Our Balls documentary, and Beauty Blowout. BBC provides broadcast distribution and iPlayer streaming platform access.
• ITV2coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITV2 is a key commissioning broadcaster for Twenty Six 03, having commissioned You vs Chris and Kem (multiple series) and The Full Treatment. ITV2 provides broadcast distribution and digital platform access.
• CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCALM partnered with ITV and Twenty Six 03 on 'The Full Treatment', a mental health awareness series. CALM is a charity focused on preventing male suicide and provided expertise and endorsement for the mental health content of the show.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wall to Wall Media: Established Warner Bros Discovery-owned UK indie producing factual entertainment (e.g., Who Do You Think You Are?, 24 Hours in A&E). Larger and broader competitor in the same BBC commissioning ecosystem.
• Shine TV: Banijay-owned UK indie producing major entertainment formats (e.g., MasterChef, Big Brother). A scaled incumbent competing for the same BBC/ITV commission budgets; former employer of MD Antonia Hurford-Jones.
• Tiger Aspect Productions: Endemol Shine Group indie producing scripted and unscripted content (e.g., Mr. Bean, The Only Way Is Essex). Large-scale competitor; former employer of MD Antonia Hurford-Jones and direct overlap in reality entertainment commissioning.
• Twofour: Larger UK indie (Twofour Group / ITV Studios) producing entertainment, documentary, and reality programming (e.g., Gogglebox, I'm a Celebrity spin-offs). Competes for similar commissioners at a larger scale.

Direct peers

• North One Television: UK indie producer of factual entertainment and reality formats (e.g., The Only Way Is Essex spin-offs, Long Lost Family). Closely comparable size and genre mix to Twenty Six 03 and a natural direct competitor for the same BBC/ITV commissioning slots.
• Expectation Entertainment: UK indie producing entertainment, comedy and documentary formats (e.g., The Wall, Race Around the World). Comparable size and direct genre overlap, competing for the same BBC and ITV slots.
• Monkey Kingdom: UK factual entertainment indie producing reality and observational documentaries (e.g., Teen Mom UK, The Real Housewives of Cheshire). Similar size, similar commissioners, and direct reality-format overlap.
• Princess Productions: UK indie producer of entertainment and reality formats (e.g., The Real Full Monty, Snog Marry Avoid?). Founded and previously run by Henrietta Conrad and Joel Edwards; direct genre and customer overlap with Twenty Six 03, and a former employer of founder Duncan Gray.
• Whizz Kid Entertainment: UK indie producing entertainment, reality and music formats including The Voice Kids and Michael McIntyre's Big Show. Direct genre and BBC/ITV commissioning overlap; former employer of MD Antonia Hurford-Jones.
• CPL Productions: UK factual entertainment indie (e.g., Gogglebox, The Last Leg, Race Across the World). Similar size band and direct genre overlap with Twenty Six 03's reality/observational slate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/twentysix03
• Facebookfacebook.com/TwentySix03
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/twenty-six-03-entertainment-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Twenty Six 03