Audio and visual creative company AUK Studios has announced that the company has acquired award-winning audio drama production house Spiteful Puppet Entertainment and its associated Intellectual Properties.
Founded in 2013, in just a few short years Spiteful Puppet has grown from being a specialist audio producer to Book Publisher, Theatre Producer and Film/TV Producer – and the the company has been fortunate to have worked with some of the best-known names in the business.
They have produced high-quality audio dramas based on a range of storied franchises and original IP, including Robin of Sherwood, continuing the cult TV series created by Richard Carpenter, Up Pompeii, and acclaimed six-episode series The Barren Author, narrated by Richard O’Brien.
“AUK Studios is thrilled to be able to continue the work of Spiteful Puppet and fully incorporate its illustrious works to the AUK Studios catalogue,” said a company spokesperson.
“One such project, a box-set of the Robin of Sherwood audio drama series is set to be released to celebrate the series’ 40th anniversary, in conjunction with ITV Global and the estate of Richard Carpenter.”
In addition, AUK Studios has also acquired the talents of Barnaby Eaton-Jones, who will serve as Spiteful Puppet Creative Director, having served in a similar role since 2015.
“This means I get to finish a few Spiteful Puppet projects that have been hanging in the balance,” commented Barnaby on his Facebook page, “as well as looking to the future with the brilliant peeps at AUK, and my rather groovy overlord, Paul Andrews.
“To say I’m humbled that AUK have taken me on is an understatement,” he added. “I hope I can achieve for them what I’ve had fun achieving with Spiteful Puppet – to enhance and promote AUK Studios to become a name that people recognise inside and outside of the audio industry.
“But (and this is what excited me), to be able to expand beyond just audios and into new creative ventures with a very forward-thinking company supporting me.
“I’m looking forward to being part of the AUK family.”
AUK Studios Ltd is the separate, independent audio and visual creative company formed by Andrews UK Ltd, which has allowed a whole new stream of content to be created.
The team have been working in the media industry for over 20 years; from CD, DVD to eBooks, as well as many other digital media products. From the year 2000, they have created and distributed their own products on a worldwide scale for ourselves and others, something we continue to do to this day.
Their recent forays into the audio market – in co-production and on their own merit – has proved highly successful; winning Gold at the New York Festival Awards in 2021 (the ‘Oscars for Audio’) and with a recent nomination for Best Online Audio Drama at the BBC Audio Awards for 2022.
“We continue to believe that the audio medium is the perfect way to tell stories (in the grand old tradition of the storytellers who used to pass on tales over firelight in communities, years ago), as well as giving every subject matter and person a voice to express themselves.”
• Spiteful Puppet is online at spitefulpuppet.co.uk
• AUK Studios is online at aukstudios.uk
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Audio, Books, Comics, Digital Media, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Science Fiction