EXCLUSIVE: A number of staffers including creative chief Damon Pattison have been laid off at Ricochet, the Skydance UK-owned indie that produces hit BBC show The Repair Shop.
We understand around 10 staff left several weeks back including Pattison and Rob Butterfield, who was running the indie’s Scotland office. This represents just under a third of overall staff numbers, which now stands at 24 across offices in Brighton and Glasgow, according to Ricochet’s website. Joanna Ball remains MD.
We understand the decision was made as a response to market conditions and was decided upon long before the Skydance deal closed. A Ricochet spokeswoman confirmed the layoffs had already taken place but declined further comment.
Ricochet is best known for The Repair Shop, a heartwarming BBC series that has been running for a decade and spawned several spin-offs. Each episode of the ratings smash follows professional craftspeople from around the country who restore family heirlooms that have sentimental value for their owners.
Ricochet’s other credits include Guz Khan’s Custom Cars, Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild and Sun, Sea & Selling Houses.
Pattison joined Ricochet more than two years ago after leaving the UK arm of Pooch Perfect outfit Beyond Productions. During his time there, the experienced UK producer picked up the rights to Australian series Muster Dogs and landed the Guz Khan commission.
The news comes with TV industry layoffs a reality in the UK. The BBC and Channel 4 are making hundreds redundant while sales executives have left the newly-merged Banijay outfit since the All3Media deal closed.
Along with Who Do You Think You Are? indie Wall to Wall Media and First Dates producer Twenty Twenty, Ricochet is one of a trio of UK indies owned by Warner that now fall under the Skydance banner.
The Ricochet layoffs, however, are not as a result of the Skydance deal and insiders at the production outfits have said they are currently none the wiser about what their future holds under David Ellison. For the most part, Skydance international currently falls under JB Perrette, with more executive names expected to be announced in the coming weeks.