Carnival Films | |
Formerly |
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Company type | Subsidiary |
Industry | Television Production |
Founded | November 3, 1978 |
Founder |
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Key people |
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Products |
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Parent | Universal International Studios |
Website | carnivalfilms |
Carnival Film & Television Limited, [1] [2] trading as Carnival Films, is a British production company based in London, UK, founded in 1978. It has produced television series for all the major UK networks including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as international broadcasters including PBS, A&E, HBO and NBC. Productions include single dramas, long-running television dramas, feature films, and stage productions.
Carnival Films was founded in 1978 by feature film producer Brian Eastman.
As of 2014, Carnival has produced over 500 hours of drama and comedy for television, cinema and stage. This included 70 episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot starring David Suchet and 22 episodes of Rosemary & Thyme , starring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris. In the action/adventure genre it produced BUGS , Oktober and The Grid , in comedy drama it produced Jeeves and Wooster starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, teenage drama-comedy As If , as well as the adaptations of Tom Sharpe's novels Blott on the Landscape and Porterhouse Blue .
In 2004, the BBC's former Head of Drama Commissioning Gareth Neame joined Carnival as managing director. [3] In 2007, former Creative Director of BBC Drama Sally Woodward Gentle joined the company as Creative Director. The two had previously worked together on Spooks (MI:5), Tipping the Velvet and Cambridge Spies .
In 2007 Australian production company Southern Star acquired 75% percent of Carnival Films but by 2008 the company was acquired by American-based NBCUniversal as part of its plan to increase its presence in content creation outside the United States. [4] Following several more acquisitions Carnival is now part of NBCUniversal International Television Production alongside newer additions Monkey Kingdom, Working Title Television, Chocolate Media and Lucky Giant in the UK, Lark in Canada and Matchbox Pictures in Australia. [5] [6]
Under the direction of Gareth Neame, Carnival has produced series such as; The Philanthropist for NBC; hit BBC series Hotel Babylon ; the television films Enid starring Helena Bonham Carter and Matthew Macfadyen; Page Eight starring Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon and Ralph Fiennes; four-part drama Any Human Heart starring Jim Broadbent, Matthew MacFadyen, Hayley Atwell and Kim Cattrall; The Hollow Crown , a BBC adaptation of Shakespeare's history plays starring Tom Hiddleston, Ben Whishaw and Jeremy Irons; The Last Weekend , a three-part adaptation of Blake Morrison's novel; and Whitechapel for ITV.
Carnival's biggest hit, both critically and commercially, is Downton Abbey , written and co-produced by Julian Fellowes. [7] The final episode of the TV series aired on 25 December 2015. In 2016, Neame and Fellowes started planning a feature adaptation; it was officially confirmed in July 2018 and filming began later that month. Downton Abbey (film) was released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2019 by Universal Pictures, and in the United States on 20 September 2019 by Focus Features. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $194 million worldwide. The sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era , was released in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2022, and in the United States on 20 May 2022.
Carnival Films has won a wide variety of awards for its work on Television, Film and Stage productions. With the company itself winning the 'Best Independent Production Company' award at both the Televisual Magazine Bulldog Awards 2011, [16] and the Broadcast Awards 2012. [17] In addition Carnival's productions have together been awarded nine Primetime Emmy Awards; [18] one Golden Globe; [19] nineteen BAFTAs; [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] one Screen Actors Guild Award; [28] a Producers Guild of America Award; [29] two National Television Award; [30] three International Emmy Awards; [31] five RTS awards; [32] [33] [34] four BANFF Rockie Awards; [35] three Ivor Novello Awards; [36] two Broadcast awards; [17] a Bulldog award; an Evening Standard Theatre Award; and a Tony. [37]
Further to this success the company's productions have also received nominations from such varied awards bodies as the Academy Awards, [38] the Laurence Olivier Awards, The Monte Carlo International Television Festival, [39] The Screen Actors Guild, [40] The American Society of Cinematographers, [41] The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, [42] The Rose D’Or [43] and The San Sebastian Film Festival. [44]
Kudos is a British film and television production company. It has produced television series for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Amazon and Netflix and its productions include Tin Star, Humans, Broadchurch, The Tunnel, Grantchester, Apple Tree Yard, Utopia,Spooks (US:MI5), Hustle and Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes. In 2007 it was voted Best Independent Production Company by Broadcast magazine. Formed in 1992, since 2007 it has been part of the Shine Group. In 2007 it also set up the film unit, Kudos Pictures. In 2011, the Shine Group was 100% acquired by News Corporation and was part of the 50-50 joint-venture Endemol Shine Group. On 3 July 2020, France-based Banijay bought the studio through former's acquisition of Endemol Shine Group.
Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford,, known professionally as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, film director, screenwriter, and Conservative peer. He has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and two Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award, two Olivier Awards, and a Tony Award.
Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams, known professionally as Hugh Bonneville, is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series Downton Abbey from 2010 to 2015. His performance on the show earned him a nomination at the Golden Globes and two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He reprised his role in the feature films, Downton Abbey (2019), and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022). He also appeared in the films Notting Hill (1999), Iris (2001), The Monuments Men (2014), and the Paddington films (2014–present).
Daniel Jonathan Stevens is an English actor. He first drew international attention for his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV acclaimed period drama series Downton Abbey (2010–2012). He also starred as David in the thriller film The Guest (2014), Sir Lancelot in the adventure film Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), The Beast/Prince in Disney's live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (2017), Lorin Willis in the biographical legal drama Marshall (2017), Charles Dickens in the biographical drama The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) and Russian Eurovision singer Alexander Lemtov in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020). From 2017 to 2019, he starred as David Haller in the FX series Legion. In 2018, he starred in the Netflix horror-thriller Apostle, and since 2023, he has starred as Korvo Opposites in the animated series Solar Opposites.
Phyllis Logan is a Scottish actress, known for playing Lady Jane Felsham in Lovejoy (1986–1993) and Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey (2010–2015). She won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for the 1983 film Another Time, Another Place. Her other film appearances include Secrets & Lies (1996), Shooting Fish (1997), Downton Abbey (2019) and Misbehaviour (2020).
Michelle Suzanne Dockery is an English actress. She is best known for starring as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV television period drama series Downton Abbey (2010–2015), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She reprised her role in the films Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022).
Allen Leech is an Irish actor. He is best known for his roles as Tom Branson in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey (2010–2015) and Paul Prenter in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).
Lesley Nicol is an English actress, the voice of Scarf Lady in children’s televisions Sarah and Duck, and a three-time SAG Award winner in the Best Cast in a Drama Series category for her role as Beryl Patmore in the ITV and PBS drama TV series Downton Abbey. She also starred in the 2019 feature film adaptation of the series and its 2022 sequel.
Joanne Froggatt is a British actress. From 2010 to 2015, she portrayed Anna Bates in the ITV period drama series Downton Abbey. For this role, she received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2014. From 2017 to 2020, she starred in the ITV drama series Liar.
Siobhan Margaret Finneran is an English actress. She made her screen debut in the 1987 independent film Rita, Sue and Bob Too, and subsequently worked consistently in television drama including roles in Coronation Street (1989–1990), Clocking Off (2000–2002) and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006). In 2005, Finneran originated the lead female role in the stage play On the Shore of the Wide World and was awarded the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Also a comedy performer, Finneran appeared as Janice Garvey, a leading character in the first seven series of ITV sitcom Benidorm (2007–2015).
Shed Productions, part of Warner Bros. Television Productions UK, was an independent UK television production company, specialising in contemporary, original drama programming and content. It was established in 1998 by Eileen Gallagher, Brian Park, Ann McManus and Maureen Chadwick, who previously worked together at Granada Television. As of October 2015 it no longer exists as a company with all properties folded into Wall to Wall.
Monica Margaret Dolan is an English actress. She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Rosemary West in Appropriate Adult (2011).
Tuppence Amelia Middleton is a British actress known for her performances in film, television and theatre. In 2010, she was nominated for the London Evening Standard Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer.
Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie is a Scottish actress. She is known for her roles as Gwen Dawson in the ITV drama series Downton Abbey and Ygritte in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, as well as playing Maia Rindell in three seasons of the CBS All Access legal and political drama The Good Fight and starring as Clare Abshire in HBO's The Time Traveler's Wife.
Thomas Cullen is a Welsh actor and director. He had roles in the independent film Weekend (2011), as Anthony Foyle, Viscount Gillingham in the television series Downton Abbey, and as Sir Landry in the historical drama series Knightfall. He also appeared in another historical drama playing the role of Thomas Seymour in Becoming Elizabeth.
Gareth Elwin Neame is a British television producer and executive. As an executive at the BBC, Neame presided over the development of the dramas Spooks, State of Play, Bodies, Hustle, New Tricks and Tipping the Velvet. He was executive producer of the historical drama series Downton Abbey and originally proposed the idea to its writer and creator Julian Fellowes. He is a recipient of the Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.
Jack Hollington is a British actor who has appeared in film, radio, stage and television productions. He made his debut in the National Theatre's production of An Inspector Calls followed by a role in the touring production of Medea. Hollington's breakthrough performance was as Nathan in the West End and National Tour play of The Full Monty. His television roles began with the Doctor Who episode, The Time of the Doctor, followed by the Casualty episode Home.
Andrew Scarborough is an English actor, most widely known for his starring role on screen as Tim Drewe in the multi BAFTA and Emmy award-winning Downton Abbey. He also co-starred as Colonel Fielding in the film ‘’The War Below’’ and as Graham Foster in the television drama series Emmerdale. He is also known for his roles on screen in Hearts and Bones, The Bible, Hidden and Bad Girls. He is also a theatre actor, performing in many of London's major theatres, including the West End theatre, and in many provincial theatres in the UK; he has toured on the European continent with the Actors Touring Company and performed at the Renaissance-Theatre Berlin in Mark Ravenhill's Handbag.
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