Modern Television
Modern Television was a British television and film production company based in Cardiff and London.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Modern Television was a British independent production company established in 2005 by television presenter and actor Griff Rhys Jones and producer Simon Mansfield. The company operated from Cardiff and London and developed factual television, documentary, entertainment and drama projects for the British market. Its work frequently combined presenter-led storytelling with subjects drawn from British history, culture, architecture, heritage and the arts. A substantial part of Modern Television's catalogue was associated with Griff Rhys Jones. Programmes such as Griff's Great Britain, Britain's Lost Routes with Griff Rhys Jones, Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones, The Wind in the Willows with Griff Rhys Jones and A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones used travel, landscape and historical research as frameworks for accessible factual programming. The company's wider factual output included the Hidden Killers series, which examined the dangers and technologies of domestic life in different historical periods, as well as projects concerning Welsh heritage, literature, military history, cities and architecture. Modern Television also expanded into scripted and feature-length factual drama. Its first drama production was A Poet in New York, a feature-length television drama about the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Tom Hollander played Thomas, while Griff Rhys Jones served as executive producer and Aisling Walsh directed. The production became one of the company's most recognised projects, receiving acting, production and technical awards and nominations in 2015. The company received recognition for its growth and industry standing. It won a Fast Growth 50 Award in 2009 and again in 2010. In 2012, Televisual magazine included Modern Television among the 100 leading production companies in the United Kingdom. Its programmes also received awards from BAFTA Cymru and the Royal Television Society. A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones won Best Presenter at the 2014 BAFTA Cymru Awards, while A Poet in New York won Best Actor for Tom Hollander at the 2015 RTS Awards and Best Feature plus Best Special and Visual Effects at the 2015 BAFTA Cymru Awards. Simon Mansfield and Griff Rhys Jones left the company in 2011. Sarah Broughton became managing director from that year and led the company during the period in which it continued to release factual and drama productions. Modern Television was ultimately dissolved on 22 February 2022. It is therefore a defunct production-company brand rather than an active television business.
History
Modern Television was founded in 2005 by Griff Rhys Jones and Simon Mansfield as an independent British production company with bases in Cardiff and London. Its creation placed the company within the UK television production sector while also giving it a strong Welsh identity through its location, subject matter and association with Rhys Jones. The company developed a broad factual catalogue. Its programmes addressed British history, domestic technology, travel, landscapes, architecture, literature, military memory and cultural heritage. The Hidden Killers strand investigated hazards and innovations in homes during different historical periods, with editions focused on the post-war, Tudor, Victorian and Edwardian eras. Other productions examined Wales and the wider United Kingdom through presenter-led travel and documentary formats, including Griff's Great Britain, Britain's Lost Routes with Griff Rhys Jones, Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones, National Treasures of Wales with Griff Rhys Jones and A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones. Modern Television's growth was recognised through Fast Growth 50 Awards in 2009 and 2010. In 2012, Televisual magazine placed the company among the 100 leading production companies in the United Kingdom. These recognitions reflected its position as a growing independent producer rather than a broadcaster or large vertically integrated media group. The company also produced programmes centred on literature and historical figures. Its listed work included Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale, Rudyard Kipling: A Remembrance Tale, Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began, The Heart of Thomas Hardy, Why Poetry Matters, Charles Dickens and the Invention of Christmas and Terry Jones' Great Map Mystery. Additional factual and entertainment projects included The Quizeum, Hidden Treasures, Greatest Cities of the World, Losing It, Building Britain, A Pembrokeshire Farm and Return to Pembrokeshire Farm. Modern Television moved into drama with A Poet in New York, its first drama production. The feature-length production portrayed Dylan Thomas, with Tom Hollander in the lead role. Aisling Walsh directed and Griff Rhys Jones served as executive producer. The programme received significant recognition in 2015: Hollander won Best Actor at the Royal Television Society Awards, while the production won Best Feature and Best Special and Visual Effects at the BAFTA Cymru Awards. It was also nominated for drama-related honours by the Broadcast Press Guild Awards, the BAFTAs, the Broadcast Awards, the Celtic Media Awards and the American Critics' Choice Television Awards. Rhys Jones and Mansfield left the company in 2011. Sarah Broughton became managing director from that year and remained the named managing director through the company's later period. Under that management, Modern Television continued its factual and drama output, including programmes connected with Welsh history, British heritage and literary remembrance. Modern Television was dissolved on 22 February 2022. No active successor brand, parent company or continuing corporate structure is identified in the supplied reference material. The company should consequently be treated as a defunct British television production brand.
- 2022
Company dissolved
[1]Modern Television was dissolved on 22 February 2022.
- 2015
A Poet in New York receives awards and nominations
[1]A Poet in New York won acting, feature and visual-effects honours and received several drama nominations.
- 2014
BAFTA Cymru recognition for A Great Welsh Adventure
[1]A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones won Best Presenter at the BAFTA Cymru Awards.
- 2012
Named among Televisual's top 100 UK production companies
[1]Televisual magazine listed Modern Television among the leading 100 production companies in the United Kingdom.
- 2011
Founders leave; Sarah Broughton becomes managing director
[1]Griff Rhys Jones and Simon Mansfield left Modern Television, and Sarah Broughton became managing director.
- 2010
Second Fast Growth 50 Award
[1]The company won the Fast Growth 50 Award again.
- 2009
First Fast Growth 50 Award
[1]Modern Television won a Fast Growth 50 Award.
- 2005
Company founded
[1]Griff Rhys Jones and Simon Mansfield founded Modern Television as a British production company operating from Cardiff and London.
Products and positioning
An independent British production company focused on accessible, presenter-led factual television, historical and heritage subjects, Welsh culture, and selected feature-length drama.
Feature-length television drama
A Poet in New York
Modern Television's first drama production was a feature-length portrayal of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Tom Hollander played Thomas, Aisling Walsh directed and Griff Rhys Jones served as executive producer. The production became the company's most decorated title, winning Best Actor at the Royal Television Society Awards and Best Feature plus Best Special and Visual Effects at the BAFTA Cymru Awards in 2015.
Travel and factual television
A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones
A presenter-led programme built around Griff Rhys Jones's exploration of Wales. It represents Modern Television's emphasis on Welsh places, history and culture presented through an accessible travel and documentary format. The programme won Best Presenter at the 2014 BAFTA Cymru Awards.
Historical factual series
Hidden Killers
The Hidden Killers programmes examine hazards associated with domestic life in different historical periods. Modern Television's listed editions cover post-war, Tudor, Victorian and Edwardian homes, combining social history with accounts of household products, technologies and practices that could create danger.
Presenter-led factual series
Griff's Great Britain
A Modern Television factual production associated with Griff Rhys Jones and the company's interest in British places, history and cultural identity. It sits within the company's broader body of accessible travel and heritage programming.
Quiz and entertainment series
The Quizeum
The Quizeum was a Modern Television entertainment production listed as running for two series. The available reference identifies the programme and its series count but does not provide further format or broadcast details.
Travel and historical factual series
Britain's Lost Routes with Griff Rhys Jones
A presenter-led series exploring routes and journeys that have become less prominent or disappeared from modern use. It reflects Modern Television's recurring focus on British landscape, transport, history and the stories embedded in places.
Natural and cultural history series
Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones
A Griff Rhys Jones factual production centred on rivers and their connections with landscape, communities and history. The title belongs to Modern Television's presenter-led portfolio of British geography and heritage programmes.
Welsh heritage documentary
National Treasures of Wales with Griff Rhys Jones
A Modern Television programme focused on Welsh heritage and notable cultural or historical assets. Its subject matter aligns with the company's Cardiff base and its sustained interest in Welsh identity and national history.
Literary and historical documentary
Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale
A documentary production concerning the poet and First World War figure Wilfred Owen. It is part of Modern Television's group of remembrance, literary and historical programmes.
Literary and historical documentary
Rudyard Kipling: A Remembrance Tale
A Modern Television documentary focused on Rudyard Kipling and the themes of remembrance and literary history. The available reference does not provide additional production or broadcast information.
Literary biography documentary
Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began
A documentary examining Ian Fleming and the origins of the James Bond author’s creative world. It belongs to Modern Television's factual work on writers, cultural figures and the historical contexts behind their work.
Literary history documentary
Charles Dickens and the Invention of Christmas
A documentary production connecting Charles Dickens with the development of modern Christmas traditions. The programme illustrates Modern Television's interest in the relationship between literature, social history and British cultural customs.
History and geography documentary
Terry Jones' Great Map Mystery
A documentary project associated with Terry Jones and the investigation of a historical map or mapping mystery. It forms part of the company's broader history, geography and cultural documentary catalogue.
Rural factual series
A Pembrokeshire Farm
A Modern Television production focused on a farm in Pembrokeshire. Its setting reflects the company's interest in Welsh places, rural life and the relationship between communities and their local landscapes.
Rural factual series
Return to Pembrokeshire Farm
A follow-up production to A Pembrokeshire Farm, returning to the Welsh rural setting. The available source identifies the programme but does not give further details about its format or participants.
Brand decisions
2022
Corporate dissolutionOtherBackground
Modern Television ceased to exist as an active corporate entity.
Action taken
The company was dissolved on 22 February 2022.
Aftermath
The Modern Television brand became defunct. The supplied material does not identify a successor company or continuing parent.
2011
Management transition after founders' departureStrategyBackground
Griff Rhys Jones and Simon Mansfield left Modern Television in 2011 after establishing the company and guiding its early development.
Action taken
Sarah Broughton became managing director and continued to lead the company during its subsequent production period.
Aftermath
Modern Television continued producing factual and drama programming after the transition, including award-recognised work.
Sources1 sources
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