New Doctor Who production partner, Bad Wolf, set to be bought by Sony?

By John Freeman on October 11, 2021

Are there more changes behind the scenes ahead for Doctor Who? Trade magazine Broadcast is reporting that Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is on the brink of acquiring scripted production powerhouse Bad Wolf, the company behind the BBC’s His Dark Materials adaptation, which was recently announced as the BBC’s partner on Doctor Who when Russell T Davies takes the helm again as producer.

His Dark Materials - Bear — *Image courtesy HBO*

Sony Pictures Television is an American television production and distribution studio whose TV production list includes series such as Alex Rider, The Blacklist, The Boys, For All Mankind, Outlander and more.

Broadcast reports Bad Wolf, which went up for sale last month, is set to join Left Bank Pictures-owner Sony in a deal thought to be worth close to £60 million, and existing minority shareholders Access Entertainment and Sky / HBO are expected to have their respective 24.9% and 10% stakes bought out as part of the agreement, leaving Sony as sole majority shareholder.

“A rival bidder is understood to have offered a higher sum, but the indie is understood to have considered Sony the best cultural fit for the business,” Broadcast says.

Co-founded in 2015 by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, Bad Wolf has also produced His Dark Materials for the BBC and A Discovery of Witches for Sky. Sony has moved quickly to secure a bill and, says Broadcast, does not have any desire to see the production company move from Cardiff.

Previously, Sony reportedly expressed interest in securing a big-screen version of Doctor Who while Stephen Moffat was the show’s producer.

Filming on new Doctor Who will start next year, with Russell T Davies producing the its 60th anniversary series.

Bad Wolf and SPT declined to comment on the story, which you can read in full here (registration may be required).

John Freeman

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.