Bedder 6

Bedder 6 was a British company, responsible for exploiting and promoting the Top Gear brand, including international sales.[2] It was founded by presenter Jeremy Clarkson and executive producer Andy Wilman in October 2006.[3] In November 2007, BBC Worldwide purchased 5001 shares giving them a stake of just over 50% of the business. They are believed to have paid £100 for the shares, but also transferred merchandising and some foreign sales rights[4] to the company.[5] The remaining 5000 shares were split 60/40 between Clarkson and Wilman respectively.[6]

Bedder 6
TypePrivate
IndustryMedia
Founded30 October 2006 (2006-10-30)
London, United Kingdom
Founders
Defunct12 September 2017 (2017-09-12)[1]
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
£1,800,000 (2008)

The company posted a £1.8m post-tax profit in September 2008, giving its shareholders £700,000 in dividends.[7] By 2013 Bedder 6 had revenues of £149m, and paid out dividends of £16.2m divided between Clarkson (30%, £4.86m), Wilman (20%) and BBC Worldwide (50% £7.5m).[8]

Bedder 6 owned 50% of Sub-Zero Events Limited, a joint-venture set up by BBC Worldwide and Brand Events in February 2008 to run the Top Gear Live shows. Both Bedder 6 and Sub-Zero Events' registered addresses were at BBC White City, the building where Top Gear's offices were located.[9] Sub-Zero Events Limited is now owned by Bbc Studios Distribution Limited and Brand Events.

The name of the company is believed to refer to a room that Clarkson or Wilman (or both) lived in at Repton School, where dormitories are called "bedders".[10]

In 2012 BBC Worldwide took on the whole of the rights to the Top Gear brand to ensure that the BBC received all income from the show and its spinoffs.[11] In July 2015 Clarkson and Wilman, along with Richard Hammond and James May, founded production company W. Chump & Sons. The company is currently working on The Grand Tour, a motoring show for Amazon Video, which debuted on 18 November 2016 in the UK, US, Germany and Japan; then subsequently rolled out worldwide in December 2016.

The company was dissolved on 12 September 2017.[1]

References

  1. "Final Gazette dissolved via voluntary strike-off". Companies House - BEDDER 6 LIMITED. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  2. Bennett, James (4 October 2010). Television Personalities: Stardom and the Small Screen. Routledge. ISBN 9781136907487.
  3. Companies House. Company Details BEDDER 6 LIMITED Company No. 05982502
  4. Martin, Nicole (5 September 2008). "Jeremy Clarkson earned more than £300k from Top Gear company". telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited.
  5. Schreiber, Dominic (8 August 2008). "BBC invests in Clarkson's company". variety.com. Reed Business Information.
  6. Conlan, Tara (8 August 2008). "Jeremy Clarkson and BBC Worldwide become business partners". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited.
  7. Conlan, Tara (5 September 2008). "Jeremy Clarkson made more than £300k from Top Gear company". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited.
  8. "Top Gear: Jeremy Clarkson netted more than £14m from show last year". The Guardian. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  9. Companies House. Company Details SUB-ZERO EVENTS LIMITED Company No. 06499361
  10. "Media Monkey's Diary". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited. 18 August 2008.
  11. Conlan, Tara; Sabbagh, Dan (27 September 2012). "Top Gear deal nets Jeremy Clarkson multi-million pound payout". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
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