Sir David Jason joins reborn Cosgrove Hall
THE resurrected Cosgrove Hall has signed up Only Fools and Horses star Sir David Jason as a non-executive director as it seeks to raise funds for a new cartoon.
Sir David, who worked on Cosgrove Hall classics Dangermouse and Wind in the Willows, was close friends with the firm’s founders Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall when the business was based in the Manchester suburb Chorlton.
They left in 2004 was it was shut down by its owner ITV in 2009, but two years later Irish entrepreneur Francis Fitzpatrick teamed up with Cosgrove and Hall to launch the new business.
Mark Hall died in December 2011 but his son Simon is now running the venture with Adrian Wilkins.
Last year they started to raise £2m for a new cartoon commissioned by Channel 5 called Pip! which Sir David has agreed to lend his voice to. They are hoping to attract investors through the Enterprise Investment Scheme, which encourages investment by offering income and capital gains tax relief.
The company will use the cash to produce 52 episodes of Pip!, each 11 minutes long, and develop and secure merchandising opportunities. This work is expected to create 75 jobs in Manchester.
Simon Hall, managing director at CHF Entertainment, said: “The Government’s decision to offer tax relief will have an incredible impact on our business and will encourage animation businesses to stay in the UK. More and more animators have been relocating overseas to countries such as Ireland and Canada, where tax incentives can slash thecost of production.
“A similar approach in the UK will not only make it a much more attractive proposition to potential investors, it will also encourage our production talent to remain in this country.”
Sir David said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been asked to be the voice of Skipper and I am now looking forward to seeing Pip! and its wonderful cast of characters come to life and capture the hearts of families across the UK and beyond.”
