The Forge Entertainment
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television Film |
| Genre | Scripted |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | George Faber |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
Key people | George Faber (Executive Chairman) George Ormond (Joint Managing Director) Beth Willis (Joint Managing Director) |
| Parent | Banijay UK (2023–present) |
| Website | theforgeentertainment |
The Forge is a British television production company founded by George Faber and owned by Banijay UK.
History
The Forge was formed in 2014 by George Faber with the aim of developing and producing original and innovative television drama, working in collaboration with the UK's leading and emerging creative talent. Faber had previously founded Company Pictures in 1998. George Ormond joined at the company's inception, with Channel 4’s former Drama Commissioner Beth Willis joining in 2018.[1]
Following its acquisition by Banijay UK in 2023,[2] The Forge has continued to develop scripted drama for both UK broadcasters and international streamers.
In 2026, it was announced that Faber would become the company's Executive Director, with Executive Producers Ormond and Willis becoming joint Managing Directors.[3]
Productions
The company's first major success came with National Treasure (2016), a four-part Channel 4 drama written by Jack Thorne and directed by Marc Munden. Starring Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters, the series, inspired by Operation Yewtree, explored the personal and public fallout of historic sexual abuse allegations. The series received four nominations at the 2016 RTS Awards[4] and won the BAFTA for Best Mini-Series[5] and a Peabody Award.[6]
This was followed by The Miniaturist (2017), a BBC adaptation of Jessie Burton’s novel, starring Anya Taylor-Joy. In the same year, The Forge debuted Ackley Bridge (2017–2022), a long-running Channel 4 series set in a multicultural Yorkshire community, noted for its ensemble cast and focus on social realism,[7] and The Last Post, a BBC drama set in the backdrop of the Aden Emergency, starring Jessie Buckley.[8]
In 2018, The Forge released Collateral, a BBC Two thriller written by David Hare and directed by S. J. Clarkson, starring Carey Mulligan, Billie Piper and John Simm. That year also saw the broadcast of Kiri on Channel 4, starring Sarah Lancashire, a drama praised for its examination of race, class and child protection,[9] which went on to receive multiple BAFTA nominations.[10] The following year, Lancashire also starred in The Accident, a Channel 4 miniseries based on a fictional Welsh community's fight for justice after a fatal explosion on a construction site.
The Forge expanded into political drama with Roadkill (2020), a BBC One series starring Hugh Laurie as a government minister whose public career is threatened by personal scandal.[11] The series won Best Original Music at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards.[12]
In 2021, the company produced Help, a feature-length Channel 4 drama written by Jack Thorne and directed by Marc Munden, starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham. Set in a care home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the film received widespread acclaim[13][14][15] and won the International Emmy Award for Best TV Movie[16] and the Rose d'Or for Best Drama.[17]
In 2022, The Forge produced Rules of the Game, a BBC One drama examining workplace culture and institutional misconduct, and Marriage, a BBC One relationship drama starring Sean Bean and Nicola Walker. That year also marked an international expansion with Becoming Elizabeth, a historical drama for American pay-TV network Starz, focusing on the early life of Elizabeth I.
In 2023, the BBC announced that it had commissioned a three-part factual drama series based on the Grenfell Tower tragedy, to be written and directed by Peter Kosminsky.[18] That year then saw a significant increase in The Forge’s partnerships with global streaming platforms. The Buccaneers, an Apple TV adaptation of Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel, features a predominantly younger cast alongside Christina Hendricks and was renewed for a third series in 2025.[19] This was followed by Shardlake (2024), a Disney+ historical mystery adapted by Stephen Butchard,[20] and Generation Z (2024), a comedy horror series for Channel 4.
The Forge's most recent releases were Just Act Normal (2025), a comedy drama for BBC Three, and A Woman of Substance (2026), a period adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s 1979 novel of the same name, starring Brenda Blethyn, for Channel 4.[21] Upcoming productions include Falling for Channel 4, written by Jack Thorne and starring Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu.[22]
Productions list
| Year(s) | Show | Distributor / Broadcaster | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | National Treasure | Channel 4 | Won - BAFTA for Best Miniseries
Won - BAFTA Craft for Best Director - Fiction (Marc Munden) Won - BAFTA Craft for Best Original Television Music (Juan Cristóbal Tapia de Veer) Won - Peabody Award Nominated - RTS for Best Writer - Drama (Jack Thorne) Nominated - BAFTA Craft for Best Photography and Lighting – Fiction (Ole Birkeland) Nominated - BAFTA Craft for Best Editing – Fiction (Luke Dunkley) |
| 2017 | The Miniaturist | BBC One | Won - Ivor Novello for Best Television Soundtrack (Dan Jones)
Nominated - BAFTA Craft Award for Make-Up & Hair Design (Christina Baker) Nominated - RTS Craft & Design for Make Up & Hair Design (Christina Baker) Nominated - RTS Craft & Design for Original Score (Dan Jones) Nominated - RTS Craft & Design for Best Television Soundtrack (Dan Jones) |
| The Last Post | Nominated - BAFTA Scotland for Best Television Script | ||
| 2017–2022 | Ackley Bridge | Channel 4 | Nominated - RTS for Best Drama Series (2018)
Nominated - RTS for Best Drama Series (2019) |
| 2018 | Collateral | BBC Two, Netflix | Nominated - BAFTA Craft for Best Photography and Lighting – Fiction (Balazs Bolygo) |
| Kiri | Channel 4 | Won - BAFTA Cymru for Best Director (Euros Lyn)
Nominated - BAFTA for Best Mini-Series | |
| 2019 | The Accident | ||
| Dark Money | BBC One | ||
| 2020 | Roadkill | Won - BAFTA Craft for Best Original Music (Harry Escott) | |
| 2021 | Help | Channel 4 | Won - Rose d'Or for Best Drama
Won - RTS for Best Single Drama Won - International Emmy for Best Miniseries Nominated - BAFTA for Best Single Drama |
| 2022 | Rules of the Game | BBC One | |
| Marriage | |||
| Becoming Elizabeth | Starz | Nominated - RTS for Best Photography - Drama & Comedy (Adolpho Veloso) | |
| 2023–present | The Buccaneers | Apple TV | Nominated - GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding New Series (2024)
Nominated - GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series (2026) |
| 2024 | Shardlake | Disney+ | |
| Generation Z | Channel 4 | ||
| 2025 | Just Act Normal | BBC Three | |
| 2026 | A Woman of Substance | Channel 4 | |
| 2026 (upcoming) | Falling | ||
| TBA | Grenfell | BBC One |
References
- ^ White, Peter (25 June 2018). "Channel 4's Head Of Drama Beth Willis Exits & Joins 'National Treasure' Producer The Forge". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ Burns, Michael (2 November 2023). "Banijay UK acquires scripted producer The Forge". Televisual. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (14 January 2026). "George Faber Becoming Executive Chairman At 'The Buccaneers' Producer The Forge; Beth Willis & George Ormond Promoted To MD". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Priestly, Jenny (7 March 2017). "Channel 4's National Treasure leads RTS Programme Awards nominees". TVB Europe. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2017: All the winners and nominees". BBC News. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Peabody Award Profile 2016 - National Treasure". Peabody Awards. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ Hughes, Francesca (29 May 2020). "The Importance of Ackley Bridge". Medium.com. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Jessica Raine joins cast of 'Silk' writer's new BBC One drama 'The Last Post'". Cultbox.co.uk. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ Hughes, Sarah (7 January 2018). "Kiri, an acclaimed new TV drama starring Sarah Lancashire, asks hard questions about social care". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2019: Full winners and nominees list". BBC News. 12 May 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Hugh Laurie to star in political thriller Roadkill by David Hare". BBC Media Centre. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "BAFTA TV 2021: The Winners and Nominations for the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Television Craft Awards". BAFTA. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Sachdeva, Maanya (17 September 2021). "Help: Jodie Comer drama praised as 'heartbreaking' by Channel 4 viewers". The Independent. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Croot, James (28 May 2022). "Help: Jodie Comer simply stunning in breathtaking, rage-inducing Covid drama". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ^ McIver, Brian (15 September 2021). "Covid care home drama 'Help' is the most timely and important television event of the year". Yahoo News. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Maas, Jennifer (21 November 2022). "International Emmys 2022: The Complete Winners List". Variety. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Winners of 60th Rose d'Or awards announced". Rose d'Or. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ^ "The BBC commissions factual drama Grenfell (3x60') from writer-director Peter Kosminsky". BBC Media Centre. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "Apple TV+ announces season three for celebrated drama "The Buccaneers," inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton's final novel". Apple Press. 8 October 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Stephen Butchard's SHARDLAKE to be broadcasted on ITV". The Agency Press. 9 June 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ^ "Channel 4 announces brand new drama adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance". Channel 4 Press. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu to lead new drama 'Falling' written by Jack Thorne". Channel 4 Press. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.