BBC Studios has acquired a minority stake in U.K. production company Samphire Films, co-founded by the creator of Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action and Special Forces: Worlds Toughest Test. BBC Studios said it would support its rapid growth and global expansion.

Samphire Films was founded in 2024 by Sophie Leonard and BBC Documentaries commissioning editor David Hodgkinson to deliver the next generation of premium unscripted content to buyers on both sides of the Atlantic.

BBC Studios said that Samphire is in production on yet-to-be-announced large-scale factual formats and premium documentary projects for buyers in both the U.K. and USA. BBC Studios previously bought or took minority or controlling stakes in the likes of House Productions (Conclave, Sherwood), Clerkenwell Films (Baby Reindeer, End of the F***ing World), Sid Gentle Films (How to Kill Your Family, Killing Eve) and Voltage (Tempting Fortune, Netflixs Scoop, Inside The Factory).

Said Kate Ward, managing director for factual productions at BBC Studios: Sophie and David are the next generation of creative leaders and we are excited to be backing great British talent. They have a proven track record in delivering ambitious and compelling unscripted television spanning premium documentary to globally renowned factual formats. Investing in Samphire, which in such a short space of time has built a slate that speaks both to their global ambitions as well as their extraordinary creative breadth was irresistible.

Leonard and Hodgkinson said: Weve seen huge demand for our ideas and production expertise from both the U.S. and the U.K. and sought the right strategic partner to allow us to rapidly scale the business in response. Were working with leading creative and commercial talent, building a forward-thinking production company to deliver groundbreaking programming that resonates with audiences globally.