Ipswich Town owner and sponsor Marcus Evans has acquired World Productions

IPSWICH Town Football Club owner Marcus Evans is reported to have acquired the television production company behind top TV shows including This Life, Cardiac Arrest and Party Animals.

The billionaire’s Marcus Evans Group is said to have acquired World Productions for an undisclosed sum from its founders Tony Garnett, the former BBC drama producer who retired from producing in 2010, and film financier John Heyman.

Marcus Evans Group, which is best known for business hospitality, training and events, also has an entertainment division which includes Ken McReddie Associates, a long-established theatrical agency representing international film, television and theatre artistes, including Idris Elba and Emily Blunt, and a fledgling production business.

According to The Guardian, Roger Charteris, who heads Ken McReddie Associated, will become chief executive of the merged Marcus Evans Entertainment and World Productions business.

Other successful World Production shows have included Between the Lines, Ballykissangel, The Cops, No Angels and Buried.

Party Animals, commissioned by BBC2 in 2007 provided Matt Smith, who currently plays Doctor Who, his first major role while more recent productions have included United, which told the story of the 1958 Munich air crash involving the Manchester United football team, which starred former Doctor Who David Tennant.