Lewis Silkin has advised Banijay UK on the acquisition of leading scripted producer The Forge

The Marriage, Help and Becoming Elizabeth producer, which has a well-established reputation for high quality and award-winning TV drama, joins the Banijay UK stable of companies with immediate effect following completion of the acquisition.

The Forge, founded by George Faber, boasts an impressive slate of titles including National Treasure (C4), Ackley Bridge (C4), The Miniaturist (BBC), Kiri (C4), Help (C4), Marriage (BBC), Becoming Elizabeth (Starz), Collateral (BBC), Rules of the Game (BBC), Roadkill (BBC) and many more.

The Lewis Silkin team included Simon Entwistle (Partner, Corporate and Digital, Commerce & Creative), Matthew Rowbotham (Partner, Tax), Jo Evans (Partner, Corporate), Joe Lythgoe (Senior Associate, Corporate), Ayesha Chanda (Associate, Corporate), and Tom McEvoy (Senior Associate, Employment).

Commenting on the deal, Lewis Silkin’s Simon Entwistle said:

It was a pleasure working with the Banijay teams in London and Paris on this deal, which bolsters their scripted output further. This is an important and strategic development for Banijay  and we were pleased to play our part in it. At the same time, this illustrates Lewis Silkin’s legal and commercial expertise in advising clients on M&A transactions in the Media & Entertainment sector.

Commenting on the deal, Banijay UK’s General Counsel, Jacqueline Moreton said: 

The Lewis Silkin team steered the deal to a successful conclusion with strong commercial as well as corporate advice.  They quickly established a sense of the significant issues for Banijay and advised accordingly, providing pragmatic solutions when required.  A very effective and hardworking team, who we look forward to working with on future deals.