The BBC’s content arm is among the suitors vying to buy the television production company that owns the rights to The Gruffalo.
Sky News has learned that BBC Studios is participating in a sale process for Magic Light Pictures, which has won three BAFTAs and secured a quartet of Oscar nominations.
The auction is being held by Gotham Street, a boutique specializing in media businesses.
Several other bidders would also be involved in the process, given the quality of Magic Light’s content library, which includes a number of works from The Gruffalo creators Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
The Gruffalo has become one of Britain’s best-known children’s characters, telling the story of an adventurous mouse who fends off a series of would-be predators by telling them about a supposedly imaginary creature called the Gruffalo.
In the 2011 sequel The Gruffalo’s Child, the mouse scares a young gruffalo by using shadows to project a giant version of himself.
The two films were distributed internationally by Magic Light and, along with the original Gruffalo books, generated substantial merchandising revenue, as well as an attraction at the Chessington World of Adventures theme park.
Among Donaldson and Scheffler’s other books turned into films by Magic Light are Room On The Broom, Stick Man and Zog.
The production company is largely owned by its founders, Michael Rose and Martin Pope, who founded the business in 2003.
Its employees and several other parties are also shareholders.
The price it is expected to fetch in a sale was unclear Friday.
Accounts filed with Companies House for the year ending March 31, 2023 showed a profit of £0.8 million on a turnover of just over £9 million.
Industry sources said BBC Studios was a logical buyer for Magic Light Pictures, having steadily expanded its portfolio of production assets in recent years.
His wholly-owned record labels include Baby Cow, Firebird Pictures and Voltage TV.
The corporation also has a number of minority stakes in independent producers and last year bought a 25% stake in Mettlemouse Entertainment, whose founder has overseen shows including Geordie Shore and Celebs Go Dating.
BBC Studios and Magic Light Pictures declined to comment.
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