The UK’s top 100 broadcast millionaires. (1 of 2)

When Broadcast decided to call on Sunday Times rich list author Philip Beresford to compile its first list of the wealthiest people in the UK ‘broadcasting’ industry the sticking point was defining the boundaries of an industry whose edges are continually blurring with those of its neighbours.

Radio remains comparatively simple but ‘television’ has become a woolly affair. In order to qualify, the television bunch had to be British citizens who have made the bulk of their pennies from exploiting the moving image - whether that be on television or the web.

The combined wealth of the top 100 is£2.5bn. While 10 have garnered their fortunes from radio investments and there is a smattering of new media millionaires, some 56 are valued according to their stakes in traditional independent television production companies. 

Some of these indies have grown to become household names and sold to broadcasters for multiples of up to 70 times their latest profit figures (Ginger Media Group, Action time, Planet 24 and Talkback included).

Others such as Britt Allcroft and Hit have become plcs and successfully diversified into highly commercial areas such as merchandising and international rights exploitation.

But the high price attached to content in an era of distribution explosion means individuals who have a hefty stake in low-key but consistently reliable indies are also highly valued.

It may come as little surprise that a paltry eight of the top 100 millionaires are women and that the list is overwhelmingly skewed towards white men working in London-based companies. Just five companies are based in Scotland, one in Northern Ireland and none in Wales.

A significant proportion of the top 100 are on-screen stars who have set up their own production companies either before or after becoming famous - such as Chris Evans, Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith, Jasper Carrot, Noel Edmunds, David Frost, Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Rowan Atkinson, Bob Geldof and Kirsty Wark. Some, such as Bruno Brookes and Adam Faith have launched digital or online channels.

In this, Broadcast’s first rich list, there are some notable absentees - including Endemol Entertainment creative director Peter Bazalgette and former BBC director general John Birt for example - whose wealth we can only guess at but not prove because details are not available. What’s more the rate at which new media companies are seeking listings means that millionaires are being created all the time. In the time between compiling the list and going to press, former BSkyB exec Joanne Sawicki raised£5.1m for Channel Health by placing shares on the Alternative Investment Market, valuing the company at more than£50m and her 48.51 per cent stake at£20m. She will not be the last to join the list this year.

We hope that more people will emerge for the 2001 list and urge anyone with information on absentees to contact Philip Beresford at philipberesford@compuserve.com.

THE BROADCAST RICH LIST 1 Sir Peter Michael GWR Group£175m 2 Anne Wood & Family Ragdoll Productions£150m =3 Michael Green Carlton Communications£140m =3 Chris Wright Chrysalis£140m 5 Jeff Chapman Sportsworld Media Group£101m =6 Thomas Kressner Yes TV£100m =6 Mike Luckwell Hit Entertainment£100m 8 Chris Evans Ginger Media Group£80m =9 Allan McKeown and Tracey Ullman ex-SelecTV & Fox TV£75m =9 Michael Watt CSI£75m =11 Simon Hochhauser Video Networks£50m =11 Avtar Lit Sunrise Radio£50m =11 Jimmy Mulville Hat Trick Productions£50m =11 Denise O’Donoghue Hat Trick Productions£50m 15 Peter Orton Hit Entertainment£47m =16 David Sproxton Aardman Productions£45m =16 Peter Lord Aardman Productions£45m =18 Rowan Atkinson Tiger Television£40 =18 Noel Edmonds Unique Group£40m =18 Phil Redmond Mersey Television£40m 21 Paul Smith and Sarah King Complete Communications£36m 22 Jasper Carrott Complete Communications£32m =23 Peter Clark Media Ventures£30m =23 Gerry Robinson Granada£30m =25 Peter Bennett-Jones Tiger Television£29m =25 Charles Brand Tiger Television£29m =27 Sir David Frost David Paradine/Frost Enterprises£25m =27 Lord Hollick United News & Media£25m =27 Ron McCullogh Beat 106FM£25m =27 George Swanson Beat 106FM£25m =31 Terry Bate The Television Corporation£20m =31 John McGuckian Ulster Television£20m =31 Neil Record RDF Productions£20m =31 Griff Rhys Jones Talkback Productions£20m =31 Mel Smith Talkback Productions£20m =36 Tom Gutteridge Mentorn Barraclough Carey£16m =36 Britt Allcroft Britt Allcroft Group£16m =38 Sir Christopher Bland BBC and ex-LWT£15m =38 Rod Bransgrove Entertainment Rights£15m =38 Greg Dyke BBC and ex-LWT£15m =38 David Frank RDF Productions£15m =38 Chris Wronski Zone Vision£15m 43 Kelvin MacKenzie The Wireless Group£13m =44 Nick Park Aardman Productions£12m =44 Sam Chisholm British Sky Broadcasting£12m =44 Peter Fincham Talkback Productions£12m 47 Peter Donebauer Diverse Group£11m =48 Charles Allen Granada Media Group£10m =48 Bruno Brookes Storm Radio£10m =48 David Chance BSkyB and Granada£10m =48 Bob Geldof Planet 24£10m =48 Harry Goodman The TV Travel Shop£10m =48 Denis Strauss The TV Travel Shop£10m =48 David Green September Films£10m =48 Paul Killik The Money Channel£10m =48 Hilary Lawson Television and Film Productions£10m =48 Stephen Leahy Action Time Holdings£10m =48 Henry Meakin Aspen/GWR£10m =48 Richard Murray Avesco£10m =48 Jennifer Saunders Mr & Mrs Monsoon£10m =48 Adrian Edmondson Mr & Mrs Monsoon£10m 62 Ron Miller ex-LWT£9.4m =63 Brian Eastman Carnival (Films and Theatre)£9m =63 Timothy Blackmore UBC Media£9m =63 Simon Cole UBC Media£9m =66 Barry Firmin The Television Corporation£8m =66 Lord Puttnam Enigma Productions£8m =66 Stephen Redfarn ex-Westcountry Television£8m =69 Adam Faith The Money Channel£7.5m =69 Brian True-May Bentley Productions£7.5m =71 Ralph Bernard GWR Group£7m =71 Leslie Halpin RDF Productions£7m =71 William Harris Britt Allcroft Group£7m =71 Lynda La Plante La Plante Productions£7m =71 Wilf Shorrocks Just Group£7m =76 Lord Alli Planet 24£6m =76 Charles Parsons Planet 24£6m =76 Peter Tabern Childsplay Productions£6m =79 Neil Buchanan Media Merchants£5m =79 Tim Edmunds Media Merchants£5m =79 Brian Klein On The Box Productions£5m =79 Paul Shields Little Bird Co£5m =83 Jenny Barraclough Mentorn Barraclough Carey£4.4m =83 George Carey Mentorn Barraclough Carey£4.4m 85 David Mansfield Capital Radio£4.5m 86 Roger Llewellyn Britt Allcroft Group£4.2m =87 Charles Armitage The Noel Gay Organisation£4m =87 Alexander Armitage The Noel Gay Organisation£4m =89 Lord Bragg LWT and ex-Border Television£4m =89 Kim Burke Childsplay Productions£4m =89 Nick Elliott ITV and ex-LWT£4m =89 Malcolm McCalister Scope Productions£4m =89 Brendan Murphy Wildflower Productions£4m =89 Paul O’Grady Wildflower Productions£4m =89 Geoffrey Posner Pozzitive Television£4m =89 David Meek Pozzitive Television£4m =89 Jonathan Thoday Avalon£4m =89 Nigel Walmsley Carlton Communications£4m =99 Kirsty Wark Wark, Clements & Co£2m =99 Alan Clements Wark, Clements & Co£2m