Sony Pictures Television International Chief Wayne Garvie: ‘We Want to Be the Biggest Drama Studio in Britain’

variety.com:

K.J. Yossman Sony Pictures Television International chief Wayne Garvie has set his sights on European production, he revealed during a keynote discussion at MipTV on Monday afternoon.Garvie was speaking alongside Bad Wolf co-founder Jane Tranter in a panel discussion moderated by Variety international editor Manori Ravindran.

SPTV International acquired Bad Wolf, who have produced shows including “His Dark Materials,” in December.During the discussion, Garvie said that SPTV International had almost accomplished its goal of becoming “the biggest drama studio in Britain” and was now setting its sights on European production. “We can see a demand for European content,” Garvie said.Garvie and Tranter also discussed why SPTV International and Bad Wolf were a good fit for each other, with Garvie citing “the scale and ambition of the Bad Wolf team” and Tranter saying she had liked how SPTV International had grown another of the companies they had acquired in recent years, “The Crown” makers Left Bank as well as the fact that SPTV is “truly independent” and also that it is rooted in the U.S.

Saying that being acquired is “like a marriage” and requires careful consideration, Tranter explained that what had ultimately persuaded Bad Wolf to join SPTV’s stable of high-end production companies was the fact they “would be stronger in partnership rather than doing it on our own but [we] wanted to maintain the sense of signature and independence.”While Bad Wolf is also set to make the next season of “Doctor Who” alongside showrunner Russell T.

Davies, Tranter declined to reveal who the next Doctor is set to be played by, saying only that with a deadline of 2023, they would be going into production later this year.Equally Garvie.