Drama duo form Banijay label

Banijay Group is expanding its drama efforts by setting up a scripted label from drama producing and writing pair Phil Trethowan and Ben Bickerton.

Ben Bickerton (left) and Phil Trethowan

BlackLight Television has been founded by Trethowan and Bickerton, who are known for shows including Being Human, The Curse of Steptoe and, most recently, Ellen for Channel 4.

The label will develop ideas for the UK and international markets with established writers and directors, whilst also supporting emerging talent.

Bickerton, who has been working in drama as a script editor, producer and writer for nearly 20 years, started his career at Company Television before joining the BBC, where he became a producer. He has since worked on shows such as An Englishman in New York and Excluded, before joining Touchpaper in 2014.

Trethowan was executive producer of Being Human for the BBC and last year executive produced Ellen for Touchpaper, where he was head of the UK prodco’s Welsh division.

Takis Candilis, head of fiction at Banijay, said the launch of Blacklight “marks the beginning of Banijay’s expansion in the scripted arena as we significantly increase our capacity to produce drama, not only in our existing territories but also beyond.”

The production giant said Blacklight’s launch signalled “a renewed focus on the scripted genre for Banijay UK with further announcements expected in the coming months.”

Trethowan and Bickerton said they “want to make television that stands out and has to be watched, dramas that are entertaining, engaging and thought provoking. We are always excited by the endless possibilities of storytelling.”

Peter Langenberg, chief operating officer at Banijay, added: “Our ambition is to create a thriving entrepreneurial environment for talented people and we are absolutely delighted that Ben and Phil, two of the UK’s leading scripted producers, have decided to be a part of our vision.”