EXCLUSIVE: There’s arguably no producer who has undergone as much of a reinvention in the UK as Mike Benson. Originally the founder and Managing Director of Chalkboard Television, the maker of docs such as Troll Hunters and unscripted entertainment titles like Celebrity Fat Fighters , he made a major pivot into scripted TV in 2018 with Cold Call , the first drama commission at Paramount’s Channel 5 (now just 5) in four years that came after 5 content boss Ben Frow challenged producers to develop series at a price point of just £250,000 ($337,000) an episode.

That commission and the subsequent ratings success sparked a scripted revolution for both 5 and former BBC producer Benson, who went on to launch a sister production business to Chalkboard, named Clapperboard Studios , in 2

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