A large London-based TV producer behind Big Brother, MasterChef and many drama, factual and comedy labels, part of Banijay.
Banijay UK is a British television production company based in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is part of Banijay Entertainment and, according to Wikipedia, has about 800 employees. It is best known for Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother and MasterChef, and it also makes shows such as Sunday Brunch and Location, Location, Location.
We did not find a mission statement for Banijay UK on the pages we read, so we have not invented one. What the sources do show is a company built around many creative labels, each led by its own producers and founders, with a shared aim of making popular programmes for UK and international broadcasters.
The company has a long history. It was incorporated in 1983 and has been through several names, including Endemol UK and Endemol Shine UK, before taking the Banijay UK name in 2023. Along the way it grew from companies such as Bazal, founded by Peter Bazalgette. Today Wikipedia lists around 26 labels. The 1990 purchase of Bazal by Guardian Media Group, Endemol's stake in 1998 and its full ownership in 2000, and the 2015 joint venture with Shine Group all feed into today's company. Drama labels include Kudos and Double Dutch. Factual labels include Darlow Smithson Productions (London and Brighton), IWC Media (Scotland) and Remarkable Entertainment. Entertainment and comedy labels include Shine TV, Tiger Aspect and The Comedy Unit. Other labels include Mam Tor Productions, Sidney Street (founded by Karen Ross), Tigress Productions, Simon's Cat and Sharp Jack TV.
Wikipedia names Patrick Holland as executive chair and chief executive and Sarb Nijjer as chief operating officer. Several labels are named after their founders, such as David Darlow and John Smithson, which shows a culture of producer-led teams. The company absorbed RDF Television in 2024 and acquired Caryn Mandabach Productions, which became Garrison Drama. A separate report says Banijay and All3Media merged in July 2026, so the structure may be changing.
A company this size employs producers, directors, researchers, editors, production managers, finance and legal staff, and people in marketing and distribution. Because it has so many labels across drama, factual and entertainment, you can follow the label whose shows you love. Start by checking who made your favourite programmes and look up their label.
Website: www.banijay.com
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