Optomen

Optomen
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTelevision production
Mass media
Founded1988; 36 years ago (1988)
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
New York City, United States
Key people
Tina Flintoff and Nick Hornby (joint CEOs)
ParentAll3Media (2010–present)
DivisionsOptomen Entertainment
Websitewww.optomen.com

Optomen is an independent television production company part of All3Media, with Optomen Television Ltd. for the United Kingdom and Optomen Productions Inc. (launched in 2002) for the United States. It specializes in unscripted programming.

Broadcasting

United Kingdom and the United States

Optomen produces a variety of television shows for United Kingdom broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky1, Good Food and Discovery. In the United States, Optomen has produced directly for, or co-produced with, Fox, HBO, A&E, Discovery, TLC, PBS, and Food Network.[1]

International

Optomen International is its distribution arm which sells its completed programmes worldwide, the most popular being The F Word, Kitchen Nightmares, Great British Menu, and Police Camera Action!.[citation needed]

List of programmes

Title Broadcaster Transmission date Episodes Running time per episode
Anatomy of Desire Channel 4 1998 4 49 minutes
Anatomy of Disgust Channel 4 2000 3 49 minutes
Boy Meets Girl Channel 4 2001 3 49 minutes
Can Animals Predict Disaster? PBS Nature 1 60 minutes
Crazy Drivers Bravo 2003 13 25 minutes
D-Day Despatches ITV June 2004 5 15 minutes
Eating With... BBC Two 8 30 minutes
First Catch Your Hare: Hannah Glasse BBC Four 1 30 minutes
Food Glorious Food ITV 2013 9 60 minutes
French Leave Channel 4 September 2003 10 30 minutes
Gangland Graveyard PBS/Channel 4 1 60 minutes
Giada in Paradise Television Food Network 2 60 minutes
Gordon Ramsay's F Word Channel 4 2005 9 60 minutes
Great British Weddings Sky One 3 60 minutes
Green: The New Red, White & Blue Discovery Channel 1 90 minutes
Hell's Kitchen Fox 2005 60 minutes
If You Can't Stand The Heat Channel 4 1999
It's A Girl Thing Channel 4 November 2001 6 24 minutes
Japanese Schoolgirls Discovery Science 2 30 minutes
Jump London Channel 4
Kitchen Criminals BBC Two 20 30 minutes
Making Slough Happy BBC Two November 2005 4 60 minutes
Market Kitchen Good Food 2007
Mary Queen of Shops BBC Two 4 60 minutes
MasterChef FOX 2010 60 minutes
Mind of a Millionaire BBC Two October 2003 4 60 minutes
Most Evil Discovery Channel
Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch CBBC 2015–Present 30 (1 upcoming series) 15 minutes
Old Bear Stories Carlton Television 1993-1997 3 10 mins
One Fat Lady, One Large Life BBC Two 1999
Police Camera Action! ITV 1994 30 minutes
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Channel 4/Fox 2003 60 minutes
Red Gold WNET/Thirteen/Channel 4 3 49 minutes
Return of the Chef Channel 4 January 2005 8 30 minutes
Role Reversal Arts & Entertainment Network March 2003 1 120 minutes
Saturday Cookbook ITV Breakfast 2012 21 44 minutes
Sex BC Channel 4 July 2002 2 49 minutes
Spirituality Shopper Channel 4 June 2005
The Great British Menu BBC Two 80 30 minutes
The Naked Chef BBC Two 1999
Two Fat Ladies BBC Two 1996–1999 24 30 minutes
Two Men in a Trench - Series 1 BBC Two September 2002 6 50 minutes
Two Men in a Trench - Series 2 BBC Two February 2004 6 60 minutes
Tyler's Ultimate Food Network 2003 26 22 minutes
Worst Cooks in America Food Network 2010 22 60 minutes
You’re Not the Man I Married Lifetime 13 30 minutes

Publications

Optomen has also published books to accompany the following programmes: The F Word, Great British Menu, Kitchen Nightmares, Two Fat Ladies, and The Naked Chef.

Awards

The company has won many awards over the years, including an International Emmy, three BAFTAs, three Royal Television Society awards, three Indie awards, and two Glenfiddich awards.[2]

Sale to All3Media

On 13 August 2010, it was announced that Optomen had been acquired by All3Media in a £40 million takeover.[3] The agreement saw All3Media take control of Optomen along with its New York-based subsidiary Optomen Productions Inc and One Potato Two Potato, which was established as a joint venture with Gordon Ramsay.[3]

References

  1. ^ "About Optomen an international television production company". Archived from the original on 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  2. ^ "Awards Optomen has been nominated for or won". Archived from the original on 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  3. ^ a b Sweney, Mark (2010-08-13). "All3Media finalises £40m acquisition of production company Optomen". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-18.