STV Factual guided by new North Star brand – Daily Business

STV Studios Factual, the production company behind Antiques Road Trip, The Beauty Queen and The Travelling Auctioneers, has rebranded as North Star.

It is the final legacy STV Studios label to rebrand, following the relaunch of STV Studios Drama as Blackhill earlier this year.

The label has also built a portfolio in documentary filmmaking and has been nominated in the Factual Series category at the upcoming 2026 BAFTA Scotland Awards.

The move follows this month’s appointment of creative director Mark Hedgecoe, who said: “While our name has changed, North Star’s commitment to creating bold, conversation-starting unscripted content is as strong as ever. Our new identity reflects our status as one of the UK’s most successful unscripted production businesses.

“The team has achieved so much under the STV Studios Factual banner, not least building a stable of hugely popular, returning transactional brands that allow us to create regular employment opportunities for Scotland’s brilliant freelance community.

“As we enter our next chapter as North Star, we have a renewed focus on bringing fresh ideas, world-class storytelling and returning hits to audiences across the UK and beyond.”

Headed up by CEO David Mortimer, the STV Studios group is also home to unscripted labels such as Primal Media (The Mob), Tuesday’s Child (The Hit List), Hello Halo (Game of Wool) and Crackit Productions (Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts). Its scripted portfolio includes Blackhill (The Witness), Two Cities (Blue Lights), Tod Productions (Criminal Record) and Ferryman Films, led by actor and director Kevin McKidd.

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