Celador

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This article is about the television production company. For the metal band, see Cellador.

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Celador is an independent production company formed in 1983. It has produced a number of popular light entertainment shows but is probably best known for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and co-producing the film Slumdog Millionaire.

The chairman is Paul Smith. Rob Davis (otherwise known as Jasper Carrott) owned a substantial share in the company.

In 2006, Celador offered the rights and UK program library of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? for sale, with a view toward the eventual sale of other parts of the business.

Structure

Celador was originally taken over by Complete Communications, which bought out shareholders including Paul Smith and Jasper Carrott. Under the ownership of Complete, Celador expanded its fledgling radio, film and international businesses. Later, Complete Communications announced its intention to sell the company. Around the same time as the sell off of Celador International and the rights and associated properties of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to Dutch group 2waytraffic, Celador Productions' management completed a buy out of the company. While it has retained the radio production business, Celador Films is run as a separate business unit, despite sharing the same name and London headquarters.

The company now has several strands:

• Celador Productions: Light entertainment television and radio shows
  • All About Me
  • The Detectives
  • Many Jasper Carrott stand up shows, such as Canned Carrott
  • You Are What You Eat Channel 4
  • It's Been a Bad Week BBC Radio 2 topical comedy starring Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis, Sue Perkins, Mitch Benn & Toby Longworth
  • The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna
  • National Lottery Winning Lines
  • Richard Digance's Greatest Bits

• Celador Films
  • Separate Lives directed by Julian Fellowes
  • The Descent (2005) directed by Neil Marshall
  • Dirty Pretty Things (with other production companies)
  • Slumdog Millionaire (with Fox Searchlight Pictures, Warner Bros., Pathé and Film4)

• Celador International handles international sales of formats. It is now owned by (and has been merged into) 2waytraffic, a format distribution company based in Holland, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment since June 4, 2008.

• Celador Radio Broadcasting

Is bidding for new FM licences as they are advertised by OFCOM. Each application is supported by a board of directors of prominent members from each community and the proposed services will be geared towards listeners aged over thirty-five.

The Celador Radio Broadcasting Board consists of Paul Smith, Chris Tarrant, former Controller of BBC Radio 2 Jim Moir and UBC Media's Simon Cole and Tim Blackmore.

• The Coast

• Celador Music & Events

People

Following the new structure of Celador's previous constituent divisions, Celador Productions is now run by managing director (since 2003) Danielle Lux, with the radio division now headed by Liz Anstee. Paul Smith, former chairman and managing director of Celador Productions is now solely chairman and managing director of Celador Films.

Origin of company name

The name is a respelling of the phrase "cellar door" chosen due to a statement of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, that, detached from its meaning, "cellar door" has the most marvelous sounds of all words he knew.

External links

• Celador holding page
• Celador Productions
• Celador Films
• 2waytraffic, the distributor of Celador programmes and owner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?; now a subsidiary of Sony Pictures