Bad Wolf has £900m economic impact in first 10 years – report

INDEPENDENT high-end TV production company Bad Wolf has had a near £900m economic impact since its launch in Cardiff a decade ago.

- SION BARRY Business editor [e-mail]

Bad Wolf production Doctor Who has massive global popularity. Inset, Jane Tranter

(JAMES PARDON)

With its primary Wolf Studios Wales in Cardiff Bay its impressive roster of productions, which includes Doctor Who, His Dark Materials and a Discovery of Witches, has generated a gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy, through direct, indirect and induced impacts, of £880m - of which £425.8m has been directly felt in the UK’s television and post-production sector.

‘The overall GVA impact has created and supported just over 11,600 jobs across the UK. Of these 4,821 are directly within the television production and post-production industries in the UK.

‘The research, carried out by Saffery and Nordicity, also shows that Bad Wolf has generated £736.7m in production spend on 20 television series, with £378.6m retained in Wales and £344.1m in GVA for the Welsh economy, as well as attracting £222m in foreign direct investment.

Founded in 2015 by former BBC executives Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, with support from the Welsh Government Bad Wolf has established itself as UK’s largest independent production company based on turnover (2024), In its latest audited accounts for the financial year to the end of March, 2024, it posted revenues of £94.2m and a post tax profit of £10.5m.

The business, became majority-owned by Sony Pictures back in 2021 in a £50m deal that provided an exit for Access Entertainment, Sky and HBO.