ITV buys World’s End producer for up to £30m

ACTORS Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are in line for six-figure windfalls after the production company behind their Shaun of the Dead and World’s End films was sold for more than £12.5 million.

Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike and Simon Pegg arriving for the world premiere of The World's End. Picture: PA

The Hot Fuzz stars, pictured above with co-star Rosamund Pike at the premier of World’s End, along with long-time collaborator and director Edgar Wright, are minority shareholders in Big Talk Productions, which counts sitcom Black Books among its other credits and has been snapped up by ITV.

The sale will also trigger a multi-million pound payment for BBC Worldwide, the state-owned broadcaster’s commercial arm, which had 
a 25 per cent stake in the production firm.

ITV will pay an initial £12.5m in cash, but it is believed that the final figure could rise to £30m, depending on “significant profit growth over the next five years.”

Big Talk was founded in 1995 by Spaced producer Nira Park, who shared a 65 per cent stake with managing director Matthew Justice and chief executive Kenton Allen.

Justice said: “We look forward to watching our family grow and flourish over the coming years.”