Cactus

Founded in 1994 by joint Managing Directors Amanda and Simon Ross, Cactus TV is a dynamic, creative and highly successful independent production company, specialising in broad-based popular Entertainment, Features, Quiz and Chat Shows, as well as TV Events. 

Over the last two decades, Cactus has become renowned for providing outstanding programming to all of the UK’s major broadcasters. In the most recent Broadcast Independent Survey 2021, Cactus was ranked as the third biggest supplier to the BBC and the sixth biggest supplier to ITV.

 

Each Saturday morning since 2006, Cactus TV has made BBC One’s hugely popular live cooking show, Saturday Kitchen Live and spin-off Sunday morning show, Saturday Kitchen Best Bites. We have also extended the Saturday Kitchen brand, with Celebration Kitchen, nominated for a Sandford St Martin Award for the Celebration Kitchen Passover Special.

 

Production highlights include: Martin & Roman's Weekend Best!, hosted by the father and son duo, the show features celebrity guests in the studio, and two families each week to play along with games. Cactus TV also produced authored documentaries 'On' for UKTV featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor On Fame, Sara Cox On Friendship and Grace Dent On Romance, John Torode’s Malaysian Adventure (UKTV), two series of Weekend – with Aled Jones (ITV), six years of The Crime Thriller Season & Awards (ITV3), two series of children’s cookery show The Munch Box (ITV), The Roux Scholarship (UKTV), five series of The TV Book Club (C4), Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation (UKTV), The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of Britain (BBC1&2), Ten Mile Menu (ITV), The Roux Legacy (UKTV), Drop Down Menu (C4), and three cooking series with Rachel Allen (UKTV).

 

Amongst Cactus TV’s proudest achievements is the production of the highest-rated entertainment show on ITV for three years running – The British Soap Awards - and winning one of Channel 4’s biggest ever commissions, for Richard & Judy, which we made daily, live, for over 8 years in the 5pm slot.

 

Having left the umbrella of ALL3Media in 2012, Cactus also moved out of its long-term base in Kennington, to new premises in Clapham. Embracing their passion for interior design - and for huge, scary projects! - Amanda & Simon embarked upon a major renovation, transforming and re-imagining a series of sadly neglected old buildings into an amazing new home for Cactus.

 

The company is based in its own unique studio complex in Clapham, which comprises a group of diverse interconnected buildings based around a church which has historic links to Darwin. Tucked discreetly off the High Street, just a few moments from Clapham Common, the facilities include two studios (one of them home to the standing set for Saturday Kitchen Live), edit suites, production offices, and the Cactus Kitchens Cookery School which Amanda opened in partnership with Michel Roux Jr.

 

A one-stop shop for a huge variety of live and pre-recorded TV production, Cactus prides itself on delivering an eclectic mix of popular, entertaining and high-quality programming. The company also has an unrivalled reputation within the industry for having pioneered advertiser-funded content and programming – and over the last decade Amanda has brokered record-breaking TV deals with major UK brands including Galaxy and Specsavers.

 

Whether you’re a broadcaster or a brand, Cactus would love to work with you.