MAMMOTH SWEPT OFF ITS FEET BY ITV

THE production company behind Poldark has been snapped up by ITV in a multi-million-pound deal.

The hit BBC show starring Aidan Turner and Heida Reed ( pictured) was made by Mammoth Screen and attracted more than 8m viewers in the UK, as well as being shown around the world in Australia, Sweden and Canada.

A second series of the show, based on the Winston Graham books, has already been commissioned.

Mammoth, which last year reported £24.3m in revenues, made a host of other shows including Parade’s End for the BBC, and Endeavour for ITV.

It is currently working on a series of shows including Victoria for ITV, which chronicles the life of the young monarch.

ITV, which acquired a 25pc stake in the group in 2007, will pay several million pounds for the remaining three quarters of the company. An exact figure has not been disclosed. ITV’s shares slipped 1.1p to 271.2p. Mammoth was founded by Damien Timmer, who was previously head of drama at ITV.