ITV Studios has bought a majority stake in Town owner Marcus Evans’s World Productions, which makes BBC1’s acclaimed Line of Duty.
Industry insiders estimate that Evans could have received £30-£40 million for the business he bought in 2012.
In addition to Line of Duty, World Productions has also been behind Born To Kill , The Bletchley Circle, Dark Angel, In Plain Sight, Code Of A Killer, This Life and The Great Train Robbery during its 20-year history.
Blues managing director Ian Milne is currently among the directors of World Productions.