Mammoth Screen

Mammoth Screen
Name	Mammoth Screen
Type	Production company
Industry	Television production
Founded	2007
Founder	Justin Sampson
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Key people	Justin Sampson, Dede Gardner, Graham Frake
Products	Television drama, film
Parent	ITV plc (2017–present)

Mammoth Screen is a British television production company established in 2007 that has specialised in adapting literary works and commissioning original period and contemporary dramas for UK and international broadcasters. The company developed a reputation for high-production-value adaptations, co-productions and series that often feature established talent from BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, PBS and Masterpiece. Mammoth Screen’s programmes have been broadcast across the United Kingdom, United States, and other territories, contributing to the global visibility of British drama.

History

Mammoth Screen was founded in 2007 by industry executives including Justin Sampson with the aim of producing long-form drama and adaptations for major broadcasters such as ITV, BBC One, and international partners including PBS and A&E Networks. Early commissions drew from British literary sources and the company quickly secured co-production arrangements with organisations such as Masterpiece, WGBH Boston, and international distribution partners like Sony Pictures Television. Throughout the 2010s Mammoth Screen expanded its slate with period pieces, contemporary thrillers, and multi-part serials, forging relationships with line producers, directors and writers experienced on series for Channel 4, Sky Atlantic, and HBO. In 2017 Mammoth Screen became part of ITV plc’s production division, aligning it with in-house resources and strategic commissioning across ITV networks and associated international sales teams. The company continued to adapt novels and historical subjects while entering into co-productions with streaming services and public broadcasters including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and PBS affiliates.

Productions and Notable Works

Mammoth Screen’s output includes a mix of adaptations, original dramas and event television. Notable adaptations and series produced by the company have aired on major channels and platforms such as ITV, BBC One, Channel 4, PBS, Masterpiece, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Their catalog features period drama adaptations and contemporary thrillers that often attracted cast and crews with credits from franchises and institutions like Doctor Who, Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Broadchurch, Call the Midwife, and Peaky Blinders. The company produced multi-part serials and stand-alone dramas which played at festivals and enquiring markets involving collaborators from BAFTA, Royal Television Society award circuits and global sales markets such as the MIPCOM and MIPTV markets. Titles have involved actors associated with Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Old Vic and West End productions, and directors known for work on The Crown, Line of Duty, and The Night Manager.

Key Personnel

Founding and executive figures at Mammoth Screen have included Justin Sampson as a founder and executive producer alongside producers and creative executives who previously worked with bodies such as BBC Drama, ITV Studios, Red Production Company and Independent Television Commission. Creative collaborators have included writers and showrunners who held credits on productions for Masterpiece, BBC Two, Channel 4 and international drama outlets like HBO and Showtime. Directors, casting directors, cinematographers and production designers with CVs featuring institutions such as the British Film Institute, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and industry awards circuits such as BAFTA Television Awards and Royal Television Society Awards have been regularly engaged. Senior commercial and sales personnel liaised with distribution houses including All3Media International, Fremantle, Lionsgate, and Sony Pictures Television for international placements.

Production Facilities and Operations

Mammoth Screen operated using UK-based production facilities, sound stages and location services commonly used by major British dramas, liaising with studio complexes and service providers connected to Pinewood Studios, Shepperton Studios, Three Mills Studios, and regional production hubs in Bristol and Bath. The company coordinated location filming across English counties and historic sites, engaging local authorities and heritage organisations such as National Trust properties and municipal film offices. Technical operations drew on freelance departments and permanent teams with backgrounds in productions mounted for BBC Studios, ITV Studios, and international co-productions for PBS Masterpiece presentations. Post-production workflows involved facilities used by colour-grading and sound houses that had credits on films and series distributed by Warner Bros. Television, Paramount Global, and independent post houses engaged by All3Media affiliates.

Awards and Recognition

Programmes produced by Mammoth Screen have been nominated for and in some cases received accolades from award organisations including BAFTA Television Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, and the Royal Television Society Awards. Individual creative contributors from Mammoth Screen projects—actors, writers, directors, composers and designers—have earned recognition at industry ceremonies such as the Olivier Awards (theatre crossovers), British Academy Television Craft Awards, and international festival prizes showcased at events like the Edinburgh International Television Festival and the Canneseries festival. The company’s high-profile adaptations and collaborations with broadcasters such as ITV and Masterpiece have regularly been highlighted in trade coverage at markets including MIPCOM.

Business and Ownership

Originally an independent production entity, Mammoth Screen entered a strategic acquisition by ITV plc in 2017 as part of ITV’s expansion of owned production capacity. Post-acquisition the company operated within ITV’s production portfolio alongside other ITV-owned labels and collaborated with ITV commissioning on network and international projects. Commercial arrangements included co-productions and pre-sales with international partners and distribution agreements with entities such as All3Media, Fremantle, Lionsgate, and Sony Pictures Television for catalogue exploitation. The company’s business model combined commissioned work for domestic broadcasters including ITV and BBC One with third-party co-productions for outlets like PBS, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix, balancing UK commissions and export-driven revenue streams.

Category:Television production companies of the United Kingdom