See-Saw Films promises more underdog stories after French sale, founders say

Production company behind The King's Speech and Slow Horses says Mediawan deal has opened up new opportunities without flattening its taste

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published25 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

Illustration: See-Saw Films promises more underdog stories after French sale, founders say

Australian-British production company See-Saw Films will continue championing underdog stories following its sale of a majority stake to French entertainment group Mediawan, co-founders Emile Sherman and Iain Canning say. The company behind Oscar-winning films The King's Speech and Lion, and hit series Slow Horses, sold 51 percent to Mediawan last year in a deal Variety described as a major coup. Sherman and Canning have stepped back to joint chief executives, leaving day-to-day operations to joint managing directors Simon Gillis and Ben Irving.

See-Saw Films, founded in 2008 by Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, has built a reputation for high-quality productions that often focus on outsiders and underdogs. The company's early success came with The King's Speech, which took $590 million at the global box office and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since then it has produced films including Tracks, Widows, Lion, The Power of the Dog and One Life, and television series Slow Horses, Top of the Lake, Heartstopper and Apple Cider Vinegar.

Sherman and Canning met at the Cannes Film Festival when Sherman was trying to finance the Heath Ledger film Candy and Canning was working for a British sales agent. "We didn't really know each other that well but we ended up making a film about an energetic Australian and a slightly reserved Englishman who hated public speaking, which is very us," Canning said.

Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman as the slovenly MI5 officer Jackson Lamb, has become a breakout hit. Season six is airing and two more have been commissioned. Sherman said the show was a gamble because it was "a little bit weird, a little bit wonky, tonally unusual."

Last year, French entertainment group Mediawan bought a 51 percent stake in See-Saw for an undisclosed sum. The sale surprised some industry observers because only two years earlier Sherman had cited the company's independence as a key ingredient of its success. "That we're owned by Mediawan," Sherman deadpanned when asked what the secret is now. "Iain and I ... were never building the company to sell. It had been nearly 20 years and it felt like the right moment to do something different."

Sherman said Mediawan has not corporatised the company. "It's just opened up the scope of See-Saw. It hasn't changed what we're looking for but sometimes you can do these deals and you find that you become corporatised and your taste becomes flattened. There's been anything but that in the relationship with Mediawan."

The company now has about 45 staff. Upcoming projects include The Great White, a drama series starring Hugo Weaving as a disgraced barrister drawn into animal law, for the ABC and Disney+ in Britain. See-Saw is also developing a live-action series based on the French animated superhero show Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, a new film franchise based on Michael Ende's The Neverending Story, a Sinead O'Connor biopic, a television adaptation of Benedict Lombe's play Shifters, a live-action Mary Poppins series and a reboot of the Lovejoy detective series.

"We were not selling the company to disappear. We love doing what we're doing. We wanted to fuel the next stage of See-Saw," Sherman said.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

See-Saw's sale to Mediawan reflects ongoing consolidation in the film and television industry, with independent producers seeking financial backing from larger groups while trying to preserve their creative identity.
The company's track record of critically and commercially successful productions means its continued output will affect what audiences see on screen, from streaming series to feature films.
New projects including The Great White, a live-action Miraculous series and a Sinead O'Connor biopic indicate a diverse slate that could reach global audiences.

Background

See-Saw Films was founded in 2008 by Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, one based in Sydney and the other in London. The Australian-British production company gained prominence with The King's Speech, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2011. It has since produced a string of acclaimed films and television series, accumulating five Oscars, 16 Emmys, 20 BAFTAs and 30 AACTAs. The company's output often focuses on stories about outsiders and underdogs. Last year, French entertainment group Mediawan acquired a 51 percent stake, with plans to buy out the rest over multiple years.

Key Perspectives

Emile Sherman (co-founder): The company champions underdog stories and the Mediawan deal has "opened up the scope of See-Saw" without flattening its taste. He said they were not building the company to sell but the timing felt right after nearly 20 years, and the deal reduced the burden of sole responsibility.
Iain Canning (co-founder): The company has gravitated toward stories about outsiders, but centrally wants to tell stories with integrity. The partnership with Mediawan has helped source international finance and co-commissioners, such as for the upcoming series The Great White.

What to Watch

The release of The Great White, starring Hugo Weaving, on the ABC and Disney+ in Britain.
Development of the live-action Miraculous series and The Neverending Story film franchise, which could define See-Saw's ambitions in family entertainment.
Whether Mediawan's ownership eventually changes See-Saw's taste or creative freedom, given Sherman's earlier emphasis on the benefits of independence.

Sources

Slow Horses and Tenzing producer promises more underdog stories after French sale · Brisbane Times
Slow Horses and Tenzing producer promises more underdog stories after French sale · WAtoday

Checked

9 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 5 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedSee-Saw will continue championing underdog stories after the Mediawan sale, as its founders promise.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “It “champions underdog stories” in high-quality productions, co-founder Emile Sherman says”
SupportedThe Mediawan deal opened up See-Saw’s scope without flattening its taste.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““It’s just opened up the scope of See-Saw,” Sherman says. “It hasn’t changed what we’re looking for but sometimes you can do these deals and you find that you become corporatised and your taste becomes flattened. There’s been anything but that in the relationship with Mediawan.””
Partly supportedSherman said Slow Horses was a gamble because it was “a little bit weird, a little bit wonky, tonally unusual.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““It was a little bit weird, a little bit wonky, tonally unusual. It was a gamble because it didn’t sit in the normal bucket of the genre.””
Not in the sourcesThe King's Speech and Lion are both Oscar-winning films.
SupportedMediawan bought a 51 percent stake in See-Saw last year for an undisclosed sum.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “French entertainment giant Mediawan’s buy-in of a 51 per cent stake for an undisclosed sum in shares and cash last year.”
SupportedThe King’s Speech took $590 million at the global box office.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The King’s Speech put the two-year-old company on the entertainment map when it became a box office hit, taking $590 million around the world.”
Partly supportedThe sale surprised some industry observers because Sherman had cited See-Saw’s independence as a key ingredient of its success two years earlier.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “It was a surprise sale given that only two years earlier, Sherman said one of the secret ingredients of See-Saw’s success had been its independence”
SupportedSlow Horses season six is on air and two more seasons have been commissioned.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Season six on air and two more have been commissioned.”
SupportedSee-Saw has about 45 staff, and its founders are joint chief executives while Simon Gillis and Ben Irving handle day-to-day business as joint managing directors.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The company now has about 45 staff and the two founders have stepped back to be joint chief executives, leaving day-to-day business to joint managing directors Simon Gillis and Ben Irving.”