BBC Studios invests in UK unscripted producer Samphire Films

Samphire Films was founded in 2024 by Sophie Leonard, creator of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test and Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action and David Hodgkinson, former Commissioning Editor at BBC Documentaries.

Announcing the investment, BBC Studios said Samphire Films is in production on yet-to-be-announced large-scale factual formats and premium documentary projects for buyers in both the UK and USA.

Before co-founding Samphire Films, Leonard was Creative Director at production company Minnow Films where she exec produced over 200 hours of factual television including Special Forces World’s Toughest Test (Fox), SAS: Who Dares Wins and Celebrity Who Dares Wins (C4), Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Scandal, and Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (Netflix).

Hodgkinson’s commissions at BBC Documentaries included Lucan. Previously he was Creative Director at Blast Films overseeing series including BAFTA award-wining Liverpool Narcos (Sky Documentaries) and Missing Dead or Alive (Netflix).

The investment in Samphire adds to BBC Studios' investment portfolio, which includes House Productions (Conclave, Sherwood), Clerkenwell Films (Baby Reindeer, End of the F***ing World), Sid Gentle Films (Extraordinary, Killing Eve) and Voltage (Tempting Fortune, Scoop, Inside The Factory). 

Kate Ward, MD for Factual Productions at BBC Studios, said: “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.”

Leonard and Hodgkinson said: “We’re working with leading creative and commercial talent, building a forward-thinking production company to deliver groundbreaking programming that resonates with audiences globally. BBC Studios shares our commitment to innovation and creative excellence, and we can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”