Baby Cow Productions Ltd is a British comedy television production company based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, founded by

Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which ...

and

Henry Normal Henry Normal (real name Peter James Carroll, born 15 August 1956) is a writer, poet, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Manchester Literature Festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. In Ju ...

. Since its establishment it has diversified into radio, animation and film. According to their website, Baby Cow "produces bold, high-quality scripted entertainment across all genres for television, film and radio." The company's name is a reference to Coogan's early characters Paul and Pauline Calf.

General information

Baby Cow Productions is a publicly held company which employs between 11 and 50 employees at any one time.

History

The company was founded in 1999 by

and

, with Coogan assuming the role of Creative Director and Normal assuming the role of CEO. In 2008,

BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...

bought a 25% stake in the company. The acquisition was made at a time when BBC Worldwide was being criticised for its "out of control" ventures, though Normal told ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' that BBC Worldwide had not made the highest bid. In April 2016, Henry Normal stood down as CEO and left the full time position. He remained a consultant of the company for the following year and supported the company while they looked to replace him. Coogan then assumed a broader role as part of his transition. Upon his departure, Normal commented that “After sixteen and a half years I've decided to take a long overdue break from TV and film production to pursue creative endeavours in other fields. I'm very proud to have been part of a company that has nurtured young talent, sought out originality and produced quality award-winning shows year after year. Steve has such a great team around him and with further support from BBC Worldwide, I know Baby Cow will achieve even greater success in the years to come.” Coogan then went on to add that “Henry has devoted himself brilliantly to the company over the years and deserves to pursue more personal projects. I salute him. He leaves behind a passionate team with great taste and the company he co-founded is in a strong place to grow." Normal was eventually replaced with

Christine Langan Christine Langan (born January 1965) is an English film producer who was appointed Head of BBC Films in 2009. In 2016, she left the role to become CEO of comedy television production company Baby Cow Productions. After graduating from Universi ...

, who was the current CEO until November 2020. She left her role as head of

BBC Films BBC Film (formerly BBC Films) is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It was founded on 18 June 1990, and has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'', '' Alan Part ...

for the job. BBC Worldwide then increased their stake in the company to 73% after Normal's departure. Langan has taken an executive producer role on every Baby Cow productions since she took the job including ''

Camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

'', ''The Killing Machine'', ''

This Time with Alan Partridge ''This Time with Alan Partridge'' is a British sitcom first broadcast in 2019 on BBC One. It stars Steve Coogan as the inept broadcaster Alan Partridge in a spoof of current affairs programmes such as ''The One Show'' and '' Good Morning Brita ...

'' and a new show entitled '' The Witchfinder'', starring

Tim Key Timothy David Key (born September 1976) is an English poet, comedian, actor, screenwriter and radio personality. He is best known for playing Alan Partridge's sidekick Simon in '' Mid Morning Matters'', '' Alpha Papa'', and '' This Time'', as ...

and

Daisy May Cooper Daisy May Cooper (born 1 August 1986) is an English actress and writer. She won the 2018 BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for playing Kerry Mucklowe in the BBC Three series ''This Country'', which she co-created and co-wrote wi ...

, which premiered in the spring of 2022.

Significant Awards

RTS Craft Awards 2018

*Costume Design – Entertainment & Non Drama – Howard Burden for ''Zapped'' (Series 2) Baby Cow Productions / Black Dog Productions / Itchy Coo Productions for Dave

BAFTAS 2017

*Won Best Male Comedy Performance – Steve Coogan for ''Alan Partridge's Scissored Isle'' *Nominated Best Comedy Writer – Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons and Rob Gibbons for ''Alan Partridge's Scissored Isle''.

International Emmy Awards 2017

*Won Best Comedy – ''Alan Partridge's Scissored Isle''.

Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards 2014

*Nominated: Best Situation Comedy – ''Up The Women'' (Jessica Hynes) *Nominated: Screenplay – ''Philomena'' (Jeff Pope & Steve Coogan).

Golden Globe Awards 2014

*Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a motion picture – Judi Dench – ''Philomena'' *Nominated: Best Screenplay – Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope – ''Philomena'' *Nominated: Best Drama Motion Picture – ''Philomena''.

Productions

News

* LIVING News (2006–2009) and (2010–2012) for LIVING 5 x 29 mins

Television

* ''

Chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...

'' (2022) for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

* '' The Witchfinder'' (2022) for BBC TWO *''

Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...

'' XII (2017) for

Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

6 × 30 minutes *''

'' XI (2016) for

6 × 30 minutes *Wussywat the Clumsy Cat (2014) for CBeebies 52 × 5 mins *High & Dry (2014) for Channel 4 Online *British Muslim Comedy (2014) Channel 4 Online *Undercover (2014) for Dave 6 × 30mins *Moone Boy series 3 (2014) *UNCLE series 2 (2014) for BBC THREE *'' Sensitive Skin'' (2014) for

Movie Central Movie Central (occasionally abbreviated as "MC", mostly in program guides) was a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment. Movie Central was designated to operat ...

The Movie Network Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. Launched in 1983 as the national service First Choice, early difficulties and a subsequent ...

, 6 × 30 mins episodes *Up The Women series 2 (2015) for BBC 2 *Timeless (2014) for SKY 1 HD *The Trip to Italy (2014) for BBC2 6 × 30mins *Moone Boy series 2 (2014) for SKY1 HD 6 × 30 mins *Over To Bill (2014) for BBC 1 *Behind The Moone (2014) for SKY 1 HD 1 × 30mins *UNCLE series1 (2014) BBC THREE & BBC1 *Liam Williams Blaps (2014) Channel4 Online *Warren United (2014) for ITV4 6 × 22mins *Hebburn Christmas Special (2013) BBC TWO *Hebburn Series 2 (2013) BBC2 6 × 30 mins *Starlings Series 2 (2013) for SKY1 HD 8 × 60mins *Up The Women (2013) BBC FOUR 3 × 30mins *Gifted (2013) for Sky Arts 1 × 30mins *''Common Ground'' (2013) for Sky Atlantic HD, 10 × 10mins *''Tommy Tiernan's Little Cracker'' (2012) for Sky1 HD *''Uncle'' Pilot (2012) for BBC THREE 1 × 30mins *''Uncle Wormsley's Christmas'' (2012) for Sky Atlantic HD, 1 × 30mins *''The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas'' (2012) for BBC1, BBC2 and CBEEBIES. 1 × 30mins *''

Hunderby ''Hunderby'' is a British black comedy produced by Sky and written by Julia Davis. It was first broadcast on Sky Atlantic in 2012. The series won two awards at the British Comedy Awards in 2012; it also won Davis a BAFTA TV Award for best comed ...

'' (2012) for Sky Atlantic. 8 × 30 mins episodes *''

Moone Boy ''Moone Boy'' is an Irish sitcom created, co-written by and co-starring Chris O'Dowd for British broadcaster Sky One. The series is co-written by Nick Vincent Murphy and is produced by Baby Cow Productions, Sprout Pictures, Hot Cod Production ...

'' (2012) for Sky 1. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''

Hebburn Hebburn is a town in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It governed under the borough of South Tyneside; formerly governed under the county of Durham until 1974 with its own urban district from 1894 until 1974. It is on the south ...

'' (2012) for BBC2. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''

Starlings Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus '' Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...

'' (2012) for Sky 1. 8 × 60 mins episodes *''Steve Coogan Live n Lewd'' (2012) for Channel 4. 1 × 60 mins episode *'' Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of My Life'' (2012) for Sky Atlantic. 1 × 60 mins episode *''Steve Coogan: Stand-Up Down Under'' (2012) for Sky Atlantic. 2 × 60 mins episodes *'' Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge: Special Edition'' (2012) for Sky Atlantic. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''Alan Partridge on Open Books With Martin Bryce'' (2012) for Sky Atlantic. 1 × 60 mins episode *''

Nick Helm Nicholas Tristan Phillip Helm (born 1 October 1980) is an English comedian, actor and rock musician known for his comedic confrontational delivery. His routines have been described as "brash and bullish". Many of his performances begin with him ...

: Solid Gold Super Hits'' (2012) for Channel 4 online. 3 × 4 mins episode *''Uncle Wormsleys Christmas'' (2012) for Sky Atlantic. 1 × 30 mins episode. *'' Johnny Vegas' Little Cracker'' (2012) for Sky 1. 1 × 11 mins episode *'' John Bishop's Little Cracker'' (2012) for Sky 1. 1 × 11 mins episode *''Totally Tom'' (2011) for E4. 1 × 30 mins episode *''The Man Who Thinks It'' (2011) for Channel 4 *'' The Shadow Line'' (2011) for BBC2. 7 × 60 mins episodes *''Alan Partridge and other less successful characters'' (2010) for Channel 4 *''Doing Chekhov'' (2010) for Sky Arts *''101 Really Bad Ideas'' (2010) for BBC Comedy Online. 6 × 1 mins episodes *''Chekhov'' (2010) for Sky Arts. 4 × 60 mins episodes *'' Mid Morning Matters for Online'' (2010) for Fosters Funny Online. 12 × 11 mins episodes *'' The Trip'' (2010) for BBC2. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''Stand Up Hero 2010'' (2010) for ITV4. 6 × 60 mins episodes *''Ideal Outtakes'' (2010) for BBC3. *''World Cup Diary'' (2010) for ITV4. 1 × 20 mins episode *''Lizzie and Sarah'' (2010) for BBC2. 1 × 30 mins episode *''FHM Stand Up Hero 2009'' (2010) for ITV4. 1 × 60 mins episode *''Gavin and Stacey the Outtakes'' (2010) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *''Politicians Outtakes'' (2009) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode. (plus 1 × 5 mins, 1 × 10 mins, 1 × 15 mins, 1 × 20 mins) *''Steve Coogan: The Inside Story'' (2009) for BBC2. 1 × 30 mins episode *''The All Star Impressions Show'' (2009) for ITV1. 1 × 30 mins episode *''Outtakes: US presidents'' (2009) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *''Home Time'' (2009) for BBC2. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''Brave Young Men'' (2009) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *'' Gavin and Stacey 12 Days of Christmas'' (2008) for BBC3. 1 × 45 mins episode *'' Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special'' (2008) for BBC1. 1 × 60 mins episode *''Ketch! And HIRO-PON'' (2008) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *''The Last Word Monologues'' (2008) for BBC3. 3 × 30 mins episodes *''Dolly and Laura'' (2008) for E4. 1 × 15 mins episode *'' The Mighty Boosh. A Journey Through Time and Space'' (2008) for BBC3. 1 × 60 mins episode *'' Karl Pilkington : Satisfied Fool'' (2007) for Channel 4. 1 × 30 mins episode *''The Scariest Night on TV'' (2007) for Sci Fi. *'' Where are the Joneses?'' (2007) for online. 60 × 5 mins episodes *''

Gavin & Stacey ''Gavin & Stacey'' is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, South Wales. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the titular characters Gavin and Stacey and the writers st ...

'' (three series) (2007–2010) for BBC1, BBC2 and BBC3. 20 × 30 mins episodes *''Classic Coogan'' (2007) for UKTV G2. 8 comedy shorts *''Stuck'' (2007) for BBC4 *''The Former Ambassador'' (2007) for Paramount Comedy Channel. 10 × 1 mins episodes *''The Abbey'' (2007) for ITV1. 1 × 30 mins episode *''Rob Rouse and his Duck'' (2006) for Paramount Comedy Channel. 10 × 1 mins episodes *''

Saxondale ''Saxondale'' is an English television situation comedy programme, starring Steve Coogan and co-written by Coogan and Neil Maclennan. The series is directed by Matt Lipsey and produced by Ted Dowd. Coogan and Henry Normal served as executive pr ...

'' (two series) (2006–2007) for BBC2. 14 × 30 mins episodes *''Outtakes World Leaders'' (2006) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *'' Ideal Xmas Special'' (2005) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *'' Sensitive Skin'' (two series) (2005–07) for BBC2. 12 × 30 mins episodes *''

Monkey Trousers ''Monkey Trousers'' is a television comedy series on ITV first broadcast in 2005, featuring Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Alistair McGowan, Steve Coogan, John Thomson, Ronni Ancona, Mackenzie Crook, Griff Rhys Jones, Alex Lowe, Neil Morrissey, Pa ...

'' for ITV1. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''Glen Wool What's The Story'' (2005) for Channel 4 (Comedy Lab). 1 × 30 mins episode *''MPs Outtakes'' (2005) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *''Kelsey Gramma Presents The Sketch Show'' (2005) for Fox. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''

Ideal Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considere ...

'' (seven series) (2005–2011) for BBC3. 52 × 30 mins episodes *'' The Keith Barret Show'' (two series) (2004–2005) for BBC2. 12 × 30 mins episodes *''

The Big Impression ''The Big Impression'', known as ''Alistair McGowan's Big Impression'' for the first three series, is a British comedy sketch show. It features Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona impersonating personalities from entertainment and sport. Four serie ...

2004 Christmas Special'' (2004) for BBC1. 1 × 30 mins episode *'' AD/BC: A Rock Opera'' (2004) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode. *''The Keith Barret Christmas Special'' (2004) for BBC2. 1 × 30 mins episode *''Hurrah for Cancer'' (2004) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *''Slam Poets'' (2004) for BBC3. 1 × 60 mins episode *'' Sven and Nancy's Big Impression'' (2004) for BBC1. 1 × 30 mins episode *''

The Mighty Boosh The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six-episode radio series, it has since spanned a total of 20 television episodes for BBC Three which aire ...

'' (three series) (2004–2008) for BBC2 and BBC3. 20 × 30 mins episodes *''

I Am Not an Animal ''I Am Not an Animal'' is an animated black comedy TV series telling the tale of highly intelligent animals rescued from a vivisectionist laboratory and forced to live on their own. The series was made and directed by Peter Baynham. It was prod ...

'' (2004) for BBC2. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''All Star Comedy Show'' (2004) for ITV1. 2 × 30 mins episodes *''From Bard to Verse'' (2004) for BBC3. 8 × 15 mins episodes *''Sweet and Sour'' (2004) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episodes *''

Nighty Night ''Nighty Night'' is a BBC black comedy television sitcom starring Julia Davis. It was first broadcast on 6 January 2004 on BBC Three. Notorious for its dark humour, the show follows narcissistic sociopath Jill Tyrell (Julia Davis) alongside he ...

'' (two series) (2004–2005) for BBC2 and BBC3. 12 × 30 mins episodes *'' Posh and Beck's Big Impression (2003) for BBC1. 1 × 30 mins episode *''Posh and Beck's Big Impression Behind The Scenes and Extra Bits'' (2003) for BBC3. 1 × 28 mins episode *''

The Private Life of Samuel Pepys ''The Private Life of Samuel Pepys'' is a 2003 British comedy television film directed by Oliver Parker and starring Steve Coogan, Lou Doillon and Nathaniel Parker. It portrays the historical diarist Samuel Pepys. It was aired on BBC Two on 16 De ...

'' (2003) for BBC2. 1 × 60 mins episode *''Whine Gums'' (2003) for BBC3. 8 × 15 mins episodes *''

Brain Candy Brain Candy may refer to: * ''Brain Candy'' (TV series), 2003 standup comedy variety TV series on BBC Three * ''Brain Candy'' (album), 2020 album by Australian duo Hockey Dad * '' Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy'', 1996 Canadian comedy film by ...

'' (2003) for BBC3. 14 × 15 mins episode *''Paul and Pauline Calf's Cheese and Ham Sandwich'' (2003) for BBC2 and BBC3. 1 × 28 mins episode *''

Marion and Geoff ''Marion and Geoff'' is a BBC television mockumentary in video-diary format, produced by Baby Cow Productions and screened on BBC Two in 2000, with a second series following in 2003. The series starred Rob Brydon as Keith Barret, a naïve taxi dr ...

'' series 2 (2003) for BBC2. 6 × 30 mins episode *'' The Boosh Pilot'' (2003) for BBC3. 1 × 30 mins episode *''

Cruise of the Gods ''Cruise of the Gods'' is a 2002 British made-for-television comedy-drama film produced by Baby Cow Productions for the BBC. It starred Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, David Walliams and James Corden. It was broadcast in 2002 and has since been rele ...

'' (2002) for BBC2. 1 × 90 mins episode *'' Up in Town'' (2002) for BBC2. 6 × 10 mins, 2 × 30 mins episodes *''

The Sketch Show ''The Sketch Show'' is a British television sketch comedy programme, featuring many leading British comedians. It aired on ITV between 2001 and 2004. The show was first commissioned in 2001 and was co-produced by a company owned by Steve C ...

'' (two series) (2001–2002) for ITV1. 16 × 30 mins episodes *''Combat Sheep'' (2001) for BBC2. 1 × 30 mins episode *'' Dr Terrible's House of Horrible'' (2001) for BBC2. 6 × 30 mins episodes *''A Small Summer Party'' (2001) for BBC2. 1 × 50 mins episode *''Marion & Geoff'' (2000) BBC2 6 × 30 mins episodes *'' Human Remains'' (2000) for BBC2 and BBC3. 6 × 30 mins episodes

Film

*''

Ideal Home ''Ideal Home'' is a British home decorating magazine, published monthly (11 times a year) by Future plc Future plc is an international multimedia company established in the United Kingdom in 1985. The company has over 220 brands that span ...

'' (2018) *'' Mindhorn'' (2016) *'' I Believe in Miracles'' (2015) Feature *''SOS'' (2014) feature *''The Trip To Italy'' (2014) Feature *'' Northern Soul'' (2013) Feature *''

Philomena Philomena ( el, Ἁγία Φιλομένα), also known as Saint Philomena or ''Philomena of Rome'' was a young virgin martyr whose remains were discovered on May 24–25, 1802, in the Catacomb of Priscilla. Three tiles enclosing the tomb bore ...

'' (2013) Feature *'' Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa'' (2013) Feature *''The Look of Love'' (2013) Feature *''Svengali'' (2013) Feature *''Gus and his Dirty Dead Dad'' (2013) *''Marvin'' (2011) Animated Short *'' The Trip'' (2010) Feature *''

Down Terrace ''Down Terrace'' is a 2009 British crime film directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Robin Hill, Robert Hill and Julia Deakin. Plot Upon release from prison, Bill and his son Karl arrive home at Down Terrace in Brighton. With the help of his ...

'' (2009) Feature *''

Snow Cake ''Snow Cake'' is a 2006 British/Canadian indie romantic comedy drama film directed by Marc Evans and starring Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Emily Hampshire and Callum Keith Rennie. It was released on 8 September 2006 in the Un ...

'' (2006) Feature *''The 10th Man'' (2006) Short *''

A Cock and Bull Story ''A Cock and Bull Story'' (marketed in Australia, New Zealand and the United States as ''Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story'') is a 2005 British comedy film directed by Michael Winterbottom. It is a film-within-a-film, featuring Steve Coo ...

'' (2005) Feature *''Dating Ray Fenwick'' (2005) Short *'' 24 Hour Party People'' (2002) Feature *

Ali G Indahouse ''Ali G Indahouse'' is a 2002 British comedy film written by Sacha Baron Cohen and Dan Mazer, directed by Mark Mylod, and starring Baron Cohen as Ali G, the character he originally played on the Channel 4 comedy series '' The 11 O'Clock Show'' ...

(2002) Feature *''The Parole Officer'' (2001) Feature

Animation

*''

'' (2004) for BBC2. 6 x 30 min episodes. *''The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas'' (2012) for CBeebies. 1 x 30 mins episode. *''Uncle Wormsley's Christmas'' (2012) for Sky Atlantic. 1 x 30 min episodes. *''Warren United'' (2013) for ITV4. 6 x 30 min episodes. *'' Wussywat The Clumsy Cat'' for CBeebies. 52 × 5 mins episodes.

Radio

*''

Nebulous ''Nebulous'' is a post-apocalyptic science fiction comedy radio show written by Graham Duff and produced by Ted Dowd from Baby Cow Productions; it is directed by Nicholas Briggs. The series premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC Radio 4. Set ...

'' (three series) (2005–2008) for BBC Radio 4. 18 x 30 mins episodes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Television production companies of the United Kingdom Mass media companies established in 1999 British companies established in 1999