ITV Studios unveiled on Tuesday that it has acquired a majority stake in Moonage Pictures, one of the U.K.’s fastest-growing independent producers of high-end drama, including global hits The Gentlemen and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Moonage Pictures was established in 2018 by Will Gould, Matthew Read and Frith Tiplady. Its name is inspired by the David Bowie song “Moonage Daydream.”
The Gentlemen, directed by Guy Richie, debuted as Netflix’s top show and became one of the most-viewed TV shows of 2024. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, adapted for the BBC and Netflix, made the streamer’s global top-10 most-watched list.
Other production credits include Bodies, starring Stephen Graham, for Netflix; Emily Mortimer’s adaptation of The Pursuit of Love for BBC One and Amazon; The Famous Five for the BBC, co-created with Nicolas Winding Refn; Curfew for Sky One; Netflix’s Obsession; and sci-fi series Intergalactic for Sky One.
Moonage also recently launched an adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusas’s epic novel The Leopard for Netflix.
The company is already working on second seasons for The Gentlemen, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and The Famous Five.
As part of the acquisition, BBC Studios has exited its stake in Moonage and will continue to distribute returning series, including A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Famous Five. International distribution of new Moonage Pictures series will be handled by ITV Studios.
“Will, Matthew and Frith have built a formidable scripted production company with a very strong slate of first-class shows ranging from The Gentlemen to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” said Julian Bellamy, managing director of ITV Studios. “They’re an incredibly talented team and we feel incredibly fortunate they’re joining ITV Studios. I can’t wait to work with them.”
Frith Tiplady, managing director at Moonage, said: “We’ve loved every minute of the past seven years — collaborating with exceptional writers, directors, and production teams to create work we’re immensely proud of. It’s been a real adventure. Now, as Moonage enters its next chapter, we’re thrilled to be joining forces with ITV Studios. This partnership opens up exciting new possibilities, and we can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”
ITV has been focusing on expanding its international content business. This has included the recent acquisition of drama producer Eagle Eye Drama, Hartswood Films, Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions, Happy Prince, led by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Ben Stephenson’s Poison Pen Studios, and premium natural history and factual entertainment producer Plimsoll Productions.
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