Sir Peter Bazalgette named chairman at Bing producer Acamar Films

Acamar Films, producer of animated series Bing, has appointed industry veteran and entrepreneur Sir Peter Bazalgette as chairman as the UK indie targets its next phase of growth.

Sir Peter Bazalgette

Bazalgette, a former chair of ITV and of TV producer Endemol UK, will work alongside Acamar CEO Mikael Shield and the company’s management team. He succeeds Acamar investor David Brierwood, who remains on the board.

The London-based company said the appointment boosts Acamar’s strategic leadership and strengthens the board as the organisation “accelerates its global expansion and creative ambitions.”

Acamar is behind Bing, the animated series based on books by Ted Dewan, which it makes alongside Dublin-based studio Brown Bag Films. The series launched on CBeebies in the UK in 2014 and has been licensed in 130 territories, while its presence on YouTube continues to grow.

Bazalgette has been co-chair of the UK’s Creative Industries Council since 2021. He also chairs the Royal College of Art and previously chaired Arts Council England and was a senior independent director on the boards of YouGov and Saga. He has served on Acamar’s board for three years.

He was a successful TV producer for many years, inventing and exporting some of the industry’s most well-known entertainment formats, including Big Brother, Ready Steady Cook and Changing Rooms.

His books include Billion Dollar Game, about the international TV business, and The Empathy Instinct. Previously he was a non-exec at the Department of Culture, Media & Sport and on the board of Channel 4.

Shields said: “The appointment of Baz as chairman brings invaluable advice and support to our board. His extensive experience across broadcasting, production and the global media industry have already helped to accelerate our plans for global growth.”

Bazalgette added: “I believe in Bing and in Acamar’s mission to serve our youngest audience members in a way which actually does them some good.”