ITV Studios has acquired a majority stake in Hartswood Films, the production company behind the Emmy Award-winning series “Sherlock.”
Founded in 1979, Hartswood Films is the UK’s oldest scripted production company. Led by CEO Sue Vertue, Hartswood Films has produced a number of high-profile series, including the hit series ‘Douglas Is Cancelled’ on ITVX and ITV1 and ‘The Devil’s Hour’ on Prime Video.
The company, which is based in London and Cardiff, works with a roster of talent including writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, and actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Stanley Tucci and Karen Gillan.
Hartswood's recent productions include Dracula and Inside Man for the BBC and Netflix, as well as Wolf and Control Room for the BBC. Their flagship series Sherlock has been sold to over 200 countries worldwide.
ITV Studios will take responsibility for international distribution of future Hartswood Films projects.
Julian Belmi, Managing Director of ITV Studios, said: “From ‘Men Behaving Badly’ to ‘Sherlock’ and ‘The Devil’s Hour’ to ‘Douglas is Cancelled’, Hartswood Films has been a huge part of the television landscape for decades. They have a hard-earned reputation as fantastic producers of high-quality, ambitious and highly successful scripted television. I am delighted to welcome them to ITV Studios.”
Sue Vertue, CEO of Hartswood Films, added: “Hartswood is not known for making rash decisions, and it has taken us 40 years to make this decision: so we are delighted to have chosen to partner with ITV Studios. We have always been open to investment if we can find like-minded people who understand the need for independence that is the ‘heart’ of Hartswood, while bringing a whole new set of strengths and skills to the table. We are a small company and have done very well on our own, but we couldn’t be more excited about the bigger future and what we can achieve together with ITV Studios.”
The acquisition furthers ITV’s strategy to expand its international content business. Hartswood Films joins other recent additions to the ITV Studios portfolio, including Quay Street Productions, Happy Prince, Poison Pen Studios and Plimsoll Productions.
