Sony Takes Majority Control of Eleventh Hour Films UK TV Company

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has taken majority control of Eleventh Hour Films, the U.K.-based TV production company it first invested in back in 2018.

The deal, announced Monday, sees Eleventh Hour join SPT’s stable of majority-owned British drama outfits, alongside Left Bank Pictures (The Crown), Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials) and Eleven (Sex Education). Helion Partners advised Eleventh Hour on the transaction. Financial details were not disclosed.

Sony said the capital investment with “supercharge the next phase of growth” for the company, known for such Brit procedurals as Magpie Murders and Foyle’s War and teen spy thriller Alex Rider.

More recently, Eleventh Hour produced the legal thriller The Killing Kind starring Emma Appleton and Colin Morgan for Paramount+ and rebooted the Scottish crime drama Rebus for the BBC, featuring Richard Rankin. The company has also announced Moonflower Murders, a sequel to Magpie Murders starring Lesley Manville, which will go out on PBS Masterpiece in the fall.

Eve Gutierrez and Paula Cuddy will become co-CEOs of the company, with founder Jill Green taking on the role of creative executive producer and chairperson. Green will continue to executive produce a handpicked number of dramas for the company, including those written by Anthony Horowitz, the novelist and screenwriter behind Foyle’s War, Magpie Murders and Alex Rider. Horowitz also penned the upcoming MGM+/BBC mystery thriller Nine Bodies In A Mexican Morgue for Eleventh Hour.

Joining the executive team is Sarah Woolway in the new role of chief commercial officer. Woolway joins from Gaumont, where she has been head of business and legal affairs U.K. for the past two years. Before that, she worked at BBC Studios for 18 years, including a stint at BBC America.

“Over the past decade, Jill, Eve and Paula have built a remarkable company and it has been a great joy for everyone at Sony to have been part of their adventure,” said Wayne Garvie, SPT’s president of international production. “We’ve witnessed first-hand their ability for consistently delivering high-quality, commercial event television with global appeal. We are overjoyed that they are becoming a full member of our roster of world-leading drama labels.”

Added Green: “Eve, Paula and I have been a tight team working together on an amazing Eleventh Hour Films journey. Now with the full support of Sony Pictures Television and a strong senior team restructure, I have every confidence that an equally brilliant future lies ahead.”