The Forge Entertainment

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]

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]

Hugh Laurie starred as Peter Laurence in Roadkill for BBC One.

Jessie Buckley starred as Honor Martin in The Last Post for BBC One.

Anya Taylor-Joy starred as Petronella Oortman in The Miniaturist for BBC One.

Christina Hendricks stars as Patricia St. George in The Buccaneers for Apple TV.

Sarah Lancashire starred in The Accident and Kiri, both for Channel 4.

Paapa Essiedu stars in upcoming Falling for Channel 4.