Lion Television, also known as Lion TV, is a British factual television production company that is a subsidiary of Banijay UK headquartered in London, Glasgow and Los Angeles. Founded in 1997 by former BBC documentary producers Richard Bradley, Nick Catliff and Jeremy Mills, Lion Television produced factual, scripted & non-scripted documentary programming for networks such as BBC and Channel 4.
History In July 2001, Lion Television partnered with former head of factual at September Films, James Burstall, to launch a joint-venture production company which was called Leopard Television with the newly launched company would be based at Lion Television's headquarters and would share Lion's American offices as James Burstall became the new company's president & CEO.
On 23 June 2003, Lion Television expanded its American production services by opening a Los Angeles production office based in Los Angeles with Lion Television's former head of its New York office, Ciara Byrne, would head Lion Television's new production office based in Los Angeles via executive director. Five months later on 13 November of that year, Lion Television breached into the Asian production service with the establishment of its Beijing office via a joint venture with Chinese television network Phoenix Television as the two signed a co-production pact to produce programming from Lion's Beijing office.
In June 2004, All3Media had entered exclusive talks to acquire Lion Television alongside its Scottish division and Lion's American productions offices based in both Los Angeles & Miami and its Beijing production office (via a joint venture with Chinese television network Phoenix Television) in order for All3Media expand the group across the Atlantic and the Asian regions that would give the former turnover of at least £115m while Lion Television's co-founders Jeremy Mills and Richard Bradley would stay when All3Media's acquisition of Lion Television is completed. Two weeks later on that same month of that year, All3Media had confirmed that they acquired Lion Television and its Scottish production division, American and Chinese production offices based in Los Angeles, Miami and Beijing (the latter was a joint venture with Phoenix Television) this gained All3Media's first entry into the American & Chinese production business as Lion's American offices became All3Media's own American & Chinese production services while Lion Television's co-founders Jeremy Mills and Richard Bradley continued leading Lion Television.
In September 2019, Lion Television's parent All3Media had brought the London-based production subsidiary Lion Television with its fellow drama production outfit Lime Pictures (which All3Media had brought it in 2006) with Lion's London-based production offices being merged into the latter's production office (also based in London) while the former's managing directors & co-founders Richard Bradley and Nick Catliff joined Lime Pictures' London production office and became CCOs while retaining Lion Television continued operating as it became a label within Lime's London office.
In August 2025, Lion Television's American production arm Lion TV USA had moved to All3Media's own American production division. It had become a creative & development studio under the latter's American production division whilst it continued as a standalone label, with them working closely with its American parent All3Media American. CEO Allison Corn had departed Lion TV US while Stan Hsue continued leading Lion's American division-turned-creative & development studio as All3Media America started to produce future programming with Lion TV US.
Filmography Title Years Channel Notes Hotel 1997 BBC One Paddington Green 1998–2001 Egypt's Golden Empire 2001 PBS First American production Homes Under the Hammer 2003–present BBC One as Lion Television Scotland History Detectives 2003–2014 PBS co-production with Oregon Public Broadcasting Playing it Straight 2004 Fox Cash Cab 2005–2006 ITV Tales from the Green Valley 2005 BBC Two Vegas Virgins Challenge Dealing with Dickinson BBC One The Queen's Cavalry Cash Cab USA 2005–2020 Discovery Channel/Bravo S.W.A.T. USA 2005 Court TV The Big Day 2007 BBC One Horrible Histories (original) 2009–2014 CBBC co-production with Citrus TelevisionOwned and distributed by BBC Worldwide Horrible Histories: Gory Games 2011–2018 Officially Amazing 2013–2016 Tudor Monastery Farm 2013 BBC Two Sexy Beasts 2014–2021 BBC Three/Netflix Junk Food Flip 2014–2016 Cooking Channel Secrets of the Castle 2014 BBC Two The Secret History of the British Garden 2015 co-production with Alexandra Henderson Associates Horrible Histories (revival) 2015–present CBBC Owned and distributed by BBC Worldwide/BBC Studios Supertruckers 2015–2017 Quest Mary Beard's Ultimate Rome: Empire Without Limit 2016 BBC Two Driven to Love 2016–2017 We TV Co-production with DWE Talent, Knockout Entertainment, Matar Productions and Zig Zag Productions Mary Bread's Ultimate Rome: Empire Without Limit 2016 BBC Two Six Degrees of Murder 2016–2017 Investigation Discovery Hoarder SOS 2016 Channel 4 Officially Amazing Goes Bonkers 2017–2018 CBBC Play Your Pets Right 2018–2019 Sky Kids Inside The Tower of London 2018–present 5 Step Up To The Plate 2019–present CBBC Mary Beard's Shock to the Beard 2020 BBC Two The Battle of Britain: 3 Days That Saved the Nation Channel 5 Britain's Biggest Dig BBC Two 22 Kids & Counting 2021–2022 Channel 5 Tomb Hunters 2021 Smithsonian Channel co-production with At Land Productions Jason Biggs: Cash at Your Door E! as Lion TV USA Virtually Home BBC One as Lion Television Scotland Mary Beard's Forbidden Art 2022 BBC Two Stolen: Catching the Art Thieves as Lion Television Scotland Arctic from Above 2023 Sky Nature Horrible Science 2025–present CBBC Frontline: Our Soldiers Facing Putin 2026 Channel 4 Balamory 2026-present CBeebies as Lion Television Scotland
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