Studio Lambert
Studio Lambert is a British television production company making scripted and unscripted programming for broadcasters, cable networks and streaming platforms.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Studio Lambert is a British television production company founded in London in 2008 by television producer Stephen Lambert. The company develops, produces and internationally adapts scripted and unscripted programming for broadcasters, cable channels and streaming services in the United Kingdom, the United States and other markets. It is part of Banijay UK, the British division of the global Banijay production and distribution group. The company’s identity is strongly associated with original factual-entertainment and reality formats that can travel across territories. Its early and continuing work includes the international reality format Undercover Boss, the Channel 4 series Gogglebox, the hotel- and accommodation-based format Four in a Bed, and The Circle, a social-media competition format developed for British television and subsequently adapted for several countries. Studio Lambert has also produced programs such as Naked Attraction, Race Across the World, Rise and Fall, The Big Life Fix and various documentary, lifestyle and factual-entertainment series. Stephen Lambert brought experience in creating and developing internationally successful television formats to the company. Tim Harcourt joined in 2012, initially as head of development and later as chief creative officer. Their work helped establish Studio Lambert as a producer with a presence on both sides of the Atlantic. The company has operated from offices in London, Manchester, Scotland and Los Angeles, allowing it to develop local production capacity while serving international commissioners and format partners. A scripted division was established in 2015. Its first major scripted production was Three Girls, a BBC One drama based on the Rochdale child sexual abuse scandal. The series received five BAFTA awards in 2018 and helped demonstrate that Studio Lambert could operate beyond unscripted entertainment. Later scripted projects included The Feed for Prime Video, The Nest for BBC One and Three Families for BBC One. Boarders, which premiered in 2024, became the company’s first returning drama series. Studio Lambert expanded its regional infrastructure during the late 2010s and early 2020s. Studio Lambert North was established in Manchester in 2018, with Darrell Olsen appointed to lead the unit. The company subsequently established a Scottish operation with offices associated with Inverness and Glasgow. The Scottish division was involved in the production of The Traitors UK and The Traitors US, adaptations of the Dutch format De Verraders. These programs became among the company’s most prominent recent productions, combining social deduction, competition and reality television. The company has also developed large-scale streaming productions. In 2022, Netflix ordered Squid Game: The Challenge, a reality competition inspired by the Korean drama Squid Game and produced by Studio Lambert in partnership with The Garden. The production used 456 contestants and offered a reported prize of 4.56 million US dollars. Its scale made it one of the most substantial unscripted commissions associated with the company. Studio Lambert’s industry standing has been reflected in trade-press and awards recognition. It ranked highly in Broadcast magazine surveys of independent UK production companies, including first place in peer polling in 2019 and 2024. It won Best Independent Production Company at the Broadcast Awards in 2020, 2024 and 2025, and was named Production Company of the Year at the Edinburgh TV Awards in 2024. Its programs have also received BAFTA, Emmy, National Television Award, RTS, Rose d’Or, Grierson, Broadcast and other honors. The company remains an active Banijay production label with a portfolio spanning returning factual formats, reality competitions, international adaptations and scripted drama.
History
Studio Lambert was founded in 2008 by Stephen Lambert, a television producer and format creator whose career included the development of programs designed for adaptation across multiple territories. The new company was named after the Lambert television-advertising production business run by Stephen Lambert’s father, Roger Lambert, during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. That earlier company was known for producing television commercials and provided a historical connection for the later television label. During its first years, Studio Lambert concentrated primarily on unscripted television. Its portfolio included factual entertainment, observational formats, lifestyle programs, documentaries and reality series for British and American networks. The company developed a reputation for combining accessible premises with strong format structures. Undercover Boss became one of its most internationally visible productions, while programs such as Four in a Bed and Gogglebox established a substantial British production presence. Gogglebox, which places households in the role of television commentators, became a durable Channel 4 series and generated recognition through awards and international interest. Tim Harcourt joined Studio Lambert in 2012 as head of development and later became chief creative officer. His role supported the company’s development operation as it expanded its relationships with broadcasters, cable networks and emerging streaming services. During this period Studio Lambert produced or developed a broad range of American and British programs, including The People’s Couch, The Pitch, The Million Second Quiz, The Fairy Jobmother, Naked Attraction and various factual-entertainment series. The company expanded its physical and editorial footprint in the United Kingdom. In 2018 it established Studio Lambert North in Manchester, appointing Darrell Olsen to head the unit. The Manchester operation was intended to develop and produce programming from the North of England and subsequently became associated with shows including Naked Attraction. In 2021, Studio Lambert expanded into Scotland with a division linked to production offices in Inverness and Glasgow. This followed earlier Scottish production activity, including work on the BBC drama The Nest. Studio Lambert created a scripted division in 2015. Its first major scripted series, Three Girls, aired on BBC One and dramatized the experiences surrounding the Rochdale child sexual abuse case. The series was critically acclaimed and won five BAFTA awards in 2018, including the award for Best Mini-Series. It was followed by The Feed, released through Prime Video in 2019, The Nest on BBC One in 2020 and Three Families in 2021. Boarders, which premiered in 2024, became the company’s first returning drama, marking a further development of its scripted strategy. The Scottish operation became especially important to the company’s reality-competition work. Studio Lambert produced The Traitors UK and The Traitors US, adaptations of the Dutch format De Verraders. Both versions use hidden identities, missions and social deduction to create a competitive reality format. The programs became significant cultural and awards successes, with The Traitors receiving recognition from BAFTA, the Edinburgh TV Awards, the RTS Programme Awards and the British Press Guild. The US version also received Emmy recognition, including awards connected with casting and reality competition. Studio Lambert continued to develop large-scale programming for streaming platforms. In 2022, Netflix ordered Squid Game: The Challenge, produced in partnership with The Garden. The series translated the central competitive premise and visual language of the scripted Korean hit into a reality contest involving 456 players and a reported 4.56 million US dollar prize. Other important productions during the company’s recent period include Race Across the World, Rise and Fall, Celebrity Gogglebox, Celebrity Race Across the World and international versions of The Circle. The company’s profile has been reinforced by industry rankings and awards. It placed first in peer polling in Broadcast’s independent production-company surveys in 2019 and 2024, ranked third by turnover in the 2024 survey and won Best Independent Production Company at the Broadcast Awards in 2020, 2024 and 2025. It was also named Production Company of the Year at the Edinburgh TV Awards in 2024. Studio Lambert is currently part of Banijay UK and operates as a production label serving both domestic and international markets, with activities spanning unscripted formats, factual entertainment, reality competition and scripted drama.
- 2025
Studio Lambert wins another Broadcast award
[1]The company again wins Best Independent Production Company at the Broadcast Awards.
- 2024
Studio Lambert receives major industry recognition
[1]The company wins Production Company of the Year at the Edinburgh TV Awards and Best Independent Production Company at the Broadcast Awards.
- 2024
Boarders becomes the company’s first returning drama
[1]The scripted series Boarders premieres and becomes Studio Lambert’s first returning drama production.
- 2022
Netflix orders Squid Game: The Challenge
[1]Studio Lambert and The Garden receive a Netflix series order for a 456-player reality competition.
- 2021
Studio Lambert expands its production operations into Scotland.
[1]The company launches Studio Lambert Scotland with activity connected to Inverness and Glasgow.
- 2020
Studio Lambert wins Broadcast’s independent production award
[1]Studio Lambert is named Best Independent Production Company at the Broadcast Awards.
- 2019
The Feed reaches audiences through Prime Video
[1]The company’s scripted series The Feed launches through Prime Video.
- 2018
Three Girls wins five BAFTAs
[1]The company’s first major scripted production receives five BAFTA awards.
- 2018
Studio Lambert North is launched
[1]A Manchester-based production division is established under the leadership of Darrell Olsen.
- 2015
Scripted division is established
[1]Studio Lambert creates a scripted division to develop drama with British and American creative talent.
Products and positioning
A creator-led television production company focused on distinctive, scalable unscripted formats and high-quality scripted drama for British and international commissioners.
Factual entertainment · 2013
Gogglebox
A Channel 4 format in which households watch and comment on television programming. The series became one of Studio Lambert’s defining British productions and received multiple BAFTA, National Television Award and Rose d’Or honors. Its central device is simple and repeatable, enabling the program to reflect changing television culture while maintaining a stable ensemble-based structure.
Reality and factual entertainment
Undercover Boss
A reality format in which senior company executives work undercover alongside employees to observe operations and workplace experiences. Studio Lambert was associated with the format’s development and production, including the US version. The series became an international television property and received two Emmy Awards.
Reality competition · 2018
The Circle
A social-media-based competition in which contestants communicate through a controlled digital platform and may present themselves in different ways. The format originated in the United Kingdom and was subsequently produced in several national versions, including the United States, Brazil and France. Its premise combines identity, popularity and strategic deception.
Reality competition · 2022
The Traitors
A social-deduction reality competition adapted from the Dutch format De Verraders. Contestants undertake missions while trying to identify hidden Traitors among them; the Traitors attempt to eliminate other players without being exposed. Studio Lambert produced the British and American versions, which became major recent successes for the company.
Travel reality · 2019
Race Across the World
A travel competition in which pairs race across a designated route while operating under restrictions that remove conventional air travel and limit access to money or technology. The format emphasizes relationships, improvisation and local encounters rather than celebrity spectacle. It won a BAFTA for Best Reality and Constructed Factual Programme.
Reality competition · 2023
Squid Game: The Challenge
A large-scale Netflix reality competition inspired by the Korean scripted series Squid Game. The production brought together 456 players in a sequence of games, challenges and eliminations, with a reported prize of 4.56 million US dollars. Studio Lambert produced the series in partnership with The Garden.
Factual entertainment
Four in a Bed
A competitive Channel 4 format in which accommodation owners visit one another’s establishments, assess the experience and compare their businesses. Studio Lambert has produced the long-running series as part of its continuing factual-entertainment portfolio.
Scripted drama · 2017
Three Girls
A BBC One limited drama depicting the experiences surrounding the Rochdale child sexual abuse case. It was Studio Lambert’s first major scripted production and received five BAFTA awards, including Best Mini-Series, as well as recognition from Prix Italia and other industry bodies.
Scripted drama · 2020
The Nest
A BBC One drama produced by Studio Lambert and filmed in Scotland. The series formed part of the company’s expansion into scripted television and helped establish production relationships and experience that later supported the Scottish division.
Scripted drama · 2024
Boarders
A scripted series that premiered in 2024 and became Studio Lambert’s first returning drama. Its continuation represented a step beyond the company’s earlier limited-series projects and broadened its ongoing scripted portfolio.
Reality dating
Naked Attraction
A Channel 4 dating format in which participants select potential partners through staged reveals. Studio Lambert has produced the program and its associated regional production activity, including work undertaken through Studio Lambert North.
Brand decisions
2022
Netflix orders Squid Game: The ChallengeProduct launchBackground
Netflix sought a large-scale unscripted competition connected to the world and premise of Squid Game.
Action taken
Studio Lambert partnered with The Garden to produce a 456-player reality competition for Netflix.
Aftermath
The series became one of Studio Lambert’s highest-profile streaming productions.
Reported prize fund. 4560000 USD (Series announced in 2022)
2021
Expansion into Scottish productionStrategyBackground
The company had already undertaken scripted production work in Scotland, including The Nest.
Action taken
Studio Lambert established a Scottish production division linked to offices in Inverness and Glasgow.
Aftermath
The Scottish operation became associated with productions including The Traitors UK and The Traitors US.
2018
Manchester expansion through Studio Lambert NorthStrategyBackground
Studio Lambert sought to increase regional production capacity in the United Kingdom.
Action taken
The company opened a Manchester production office and formed Studio Lambert North under Darrell Olsen.
Aftermath
The unit developed and produced programming from Northern England and later handled productions including Naked Attraction.
2015
Studio Lambert enters scripted dramaStrategyBackground
The company had built its profile primarily through unscripted and factual-entertainment programming.
Action taken
It established a scripted division to develop drama with British and American writers, directors and performers.
Aftermath
The division produced Three Girls, The Feed, The Nest, Three Families and later Boarders, with Three Girls becoming a major awards success.
Recent events
- 2025
Studio Lambert wins Best Independent Production Company[1]
Other
The company won the Best Independent Production Company category at the Broadcast Awards.
- 2024
Studio Lambert receives major independent-production awards recognition[1]
Other
Studio Lambert was ranked highly in the Broadcast independent production survey and won Best Independent Production Company at the Broadcast Awards and Production Company of the Year at the Edinburgh TV Awards.
- 2022
Netflix orders Squid Game: The Challenge[1]
Product launch
Netflix commissioned a large-scale reality competition from Studio Lambert and The Garden, based on the Squid Game concept and featuring 456 contestants.
- 2021
Studio Lambert expands its Scottish production activities[1]
Other
The company established a Scottish production division associated with Inverness and Glasgow, building on earlier filming activity in Scotland.
- 2018
Studio Lambert establishes a Manchester production operation[1]
Other
The company created Studio Lambert North and opened a production office in Manchester, appointing Darrell Olsen to lead the new regional unit.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/studio-lambert · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled