Company Bio

Production company Spark Media Partners is 10 years old in 2024. Founding partners Mark Baker & Steve Havers have been working together for more than 25 years having previously owned and run successful format house Mast Media since 1999.

Spark Media itself is best known for creating Channel 4’s award- winning hit series Escape to the Chateau and Escape to the Chateau DIY. Series 7 of Chateau DIY aired in 2024. With over 252 episodes in the catalogue already, the series has been a spectacular success both in the UK and around the world, airing in more than 220 international territories.

In October 2024 – Channel 4 announced the commission of a bumper order of 100 new episodes of Chateau DIY for delivery in 2025 and 2026. In addition, Spark have recently announced their first format sale of the show to Nine Network in Australia. The series will follow Australian families who have taken the plunge to start a new life in France.

Other Spark credits include cookery-comp-on-a-cruise-ship Battlechefs for UKTV’s ‘W’ channel, Tool Club for Channel 4 and Iron Men – a multi-award-winning feature-length documentary about English Premier League football team West Ham United’s move from their spiritual home at Upton Park to the London Stadium.

In addition, over the last three years Spark has collaborated with distributor BossaNova Media on a successful new franchise – Ancient Civilisations By Train. So far, 14 episodes have been produced covering Ancient Egypt, the Ottoman Empire and Ancient Greece – all featuring Professor Alice Roberts as host.

In the past year, the company has made a successful foray into the world of brand-funded programming with digital-first film The Spanish Job (4.0) and is currently establishing a new AI initiative.