Doctor Who producer Bad Wolf could be biggest drama producer in Britain, says Sony

By Flora Carr

Published: Tuesday, 14 December 2021 at 12:00 am

Sony Pictures has invested £50 million into Welsh drama producer Bad Wolf, in the hopes of helping the maker of Doctor Who and His Dark Materials reach its “zenith”.

Wayne Garvie, Sony’s president of international production, recently revealed his hopes that Bad Wolf could become “the biggest drama producer in Britain and in Europe” (via BBC News).

He said: “We have invested in a company that has not reached its zenith. We have [another] company called Left Bank Pictures who make The Crown, which you may have watched, and which is Britain’s biggest drama company. And we built that together with the founders of the company over about eight years or so.

“And we want to do the same with Bad Wolf. There is no reason why Bad Wolf should not be or could not be the biggest drama producer in Britain and in Europe. And that is our ambition.”

He added that the location of the Cardiff-based company was also key to its appeal from an investment perspective. “One of the things we found really attractive about Bad Wolf was the passion they had for Wales, the people in Wales and their commitment to Wales,” he said.

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Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson on the first day of His Dark Materials series 3 filming.

Jane Tranter, Bad Wolf’s chief executive and co-founder, said that selling a majority stake to Sony Pictures would help Bad Wolf “go on and do bigger shows”.

“The kind of television dramas that Bad Wolf produces are huge. It is a very scary thing to do,” she said.

“We love it, and we want to go on and do bigger shows. But there comes a point when we have to acknowledge that in order to produce on an increasing scale and ambition, we need to take a partner and collaborator and investor with us on that journey.”

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