Fremantle acquires majority stake in The Responder’s Dancing Ledge Productions

Martin Freeman stars in BBC One police drama The Responder

European production group Fremantle has increased its stake in Dancing Ledge Productions to become the majority shareholder of the UK-based prodco, which is behind BBC dramas The Responder and The Salisbury Poisonings.

Dancing Ledge was founded by CEO Laurence Bowen in 2016, with backing from Fremantle. Chris Carey was appointed as MD, having been executive producer, in March 2020.

The company is behind recent BBC One dramas including Martin Freeman-starring The Responder, The Salisbury Poisonings, which tells the true story of the  Novichok poisonings in the UK city, and forthcoming thriller event series Crossfire, starring Keeley Hawes.

Also in production is the Disney+ romantic comedy action thriller series Wedding Season, written by Oliver Lyttelton, while supernatural six-parter Domino Day is due to air on BBC Three next year.

The company has also secured a second-season commission from BBC One for The Responder, which is due to go into production later this year.

Following the news, Carmel Burke, previously finance director, has been promoted to chief operating officer. Burke joined the company in 2020, having previously held senior finance roles at BBC Studios, Sony and Banijay.

Bowen said: “Chris and I are thrilled at the way Dancing Ledge has grown over the last few years nurturing, championing and then producing work by the most exciting new voices in Britain. Authorship and authenticity are at the heart of what we do, and we wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without the unwavering support of Fremantle from day one.

“Expanding our relationship with Fremantle will allow us to continue to work with the amazing development, production, and finance teams we have. We’re very excited about the future.”

Simon Andreae, UK CEO at Fremantle, added: “Laurence, Chris and their team have built a fantastic business, driven by an infectious passion, energy, and commitment to their teams, their writers, their actors, and their shows. It’s reflected in their entire portfolio and we are delighted to welcome them as an even closer part of the family as they continue to grow and flourish.”

This is the latest investment for Fremantle following acquisitions over the past year that have included 12 production labels in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark from Nordic Entertainment Group, scripted Italian production company Lux Vide (Devils, Leonardo), international development and production company Fabel (Bosch), Australian-US company Eureka Productions (Parental Guidance, Finding Magic Mike) and UK unscripted prodco Label1 (Hospital, Five Guys a Week, Soldier).