Company of the Year - Twofour

Additional Information

Number of broadcast hours

Over the past year, over 150 hours of programming has aired.

Number of new commissions

Twofour received 25 commissions between April 1 2015 to March 31 2016. The commissions ranged from ambitious live entertainment to candid documentaries.

Success of new and existing series

Twofour kicked off 2016 with The Real Marigold Hotel (BBC Two) which saw some of Britain’s best loved celebrities head to India on an experimental adventure. The series was the highest rating show in its slot for the past 12 months, consolidating at 4.2m. Candid factual shows such as Dementiaville and Kitchen Impossible delivered critical acclaim for Channel 4 whilst primetime entertainment series The Jump (Channel 4) recorded its strongest audiences to date. Twofour continued to develop its daytime slate with new titles including Chopping Block (ITV1) and evolved The Housing Enforcers into one of BBC One’s strongest daytime brands with a 30% share of the audience at its peak.

The Vote Twofour produced BAFTA nominated The Vote (More4), an unprecedented national television event, on 7th May 2015, boasting a cast including Dame Judi Dench, Catherine Tate and Jude Law. The play dramatised the final 90 minutes before the polls closed in the election and was the first ever live fixed rig transmission for C4 using over 2,000 live cuts with 20 cameras to create television history in the run up to the polls closing. The live broadcast drew in the largest audience of the year on More4, with 673,000 viewers. It was also the most downloaded More 4 programme of the year. It was the biggest audience for a live play on television in recent decades. Critics said: “This deserves to get your vote….I am happy to report that this much-trailed production – which stars, among others, Judi Dench, Catherine Tate and Mark Gatiss – delivers on its promises and ushers in a state of landslide satisfaction.” - Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph. “ A deliciously smart way of addressing the importance of the event.” - The Financial Times.

The Real Marigold Hotel Dubbed “funny and thought-provoking” and “hilarious and heart-warming…” The Real Marigold Hotel (BBC Two) sees eight British celebrities of retirement age head off on an experiential adventure. The show smashed the slot average, winning its slot over the past year and capturing around 4 million viewers per episode.

The Jump The Jump returned to Channel 4 with brand new celebrities, a new weekly format live from the Mountain and a suite of brand new alpine challenges. The third series consolidated to deliver its best performance to date for the Channel.

The Extraordinary Case of Alex Lewis The Extraordinary Case of Alex Lewis charts a man's fight to rebuild his relationships with his partner and son after a devastating infection took his limbs, parts of his face and his independence. The Telegraph said “…Machado’s documentary spends scant time dwelling on misfortune or hospital beds. Instead the film celebrates a small family pulled closer together by difficult circumstances, galvanised by the challenges hurled at them” and that it “…was such an intense, emotionally loaded film that you could almost taste the damp air and the freedom.” The Mirror called the film “…an amazing documentary about love and the human spirit” and the Radio Times “…a gruelling film that rewards you for hanging in there”. The series trended in the UK twitter lists and was amongst the most tweeted about TV shows of the day.

The Housing Enforcers The Housing Enforcers returned for a third BBC One daytime series and was more successful than ever. The 20 x 45’ series took a 30% share of the audience at its peak, with every episode achieving over 24% of the audience. With an average audience of 1.4 million, the show was most watched shows in its slot over the past year and is returning for a forth series.

Overseas sales

It’s been another successful year for Twofour’s in house distribution arm, Twofour Rights, with 800 hours of programming in its rights catalogue serving more than 100 territories in the last year.

Twofour’s This Time Next Year – a brand new entertainment format fronted by Davina McCall - will air in late 2016 on ITV1 and is already active in 27 territories, with 9 countries in full production and a further 18 under option.

Hit BBC Two series, The Real Marigold Hotel, aired earlier this year on BBC Two and has already sold into a number of territories. Twofour’s Impossible Engineering has been a strong hit, with 140 countries licencing the science based documentary that’s delivered record ratings for Discovery Science in the US.

Twofour’s documentary on Pompeii, which uses CGI to bring the city back to life was produced in 3 international versions and has sold into 20 territories ahead of its UK broadcast.

Alex Polizzi continues to be successful talent worldwide. Twofour’s slate of shows, including The Hotel Inspector and Alex Polizzi’s Italian Islands, continue to sell well.

Business expansion

In June 2015, ITV Studios acquired the group, providing a supportive home for the company as it expands in the UK and US.

The company’s growth has come through investment in talent, and building strong and returnable brands alongside bold new series and singles. Twofour’s goal to attract the very best on-screen and on-off talent is at the heart of the Company’s ethos.

Twofour’s presence continues to grow worldwide, with a growing slate of original US programing for Discovery, Lifetime, Bravo and A&E and for Network Nine in Australia. Culture and reputation of the company (e.g. workplace culture, training initiatives, mentoring, meeting diversity targets)

In the past year, Twofour topped Televisual’s annual peer poll, “after an impressive year that’s seen it produce acclaimed shows such as Educating The East End, Royal Marines Commando School, The Jump and The Vote – as well as engineering its sale to ITV It has ‘great formats and breadth of programming’ says one rival, with another impressed by its ‘good span of shows across genres from docs to entertainment.’”

The company recognises the immense value a diverse workforce and has a number of schemes underway. Twofour supports the Creative Access and C4 Diversity schemes. These schemes ensure under represented talented individuals gain invaluable industry experience, undertaking a real role and genuinely contributing to a production.

Staff on the company’s new entrants scheme are provided with mentors. Many of the senior staff in the business provide regular mentoring and support.