Pinewood Shepperton in starring role

Pinewood Shepperton, the James Bond to Harry Potter film studios owner, has revealed a 68 per cent surge in film revenues as the company turned down television contracts in favour of big-screen work.

Film productions including gothic horror Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton, and the Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady, helped to lift film revenues to £18.2m in the six months to 30 June.

But TV revenues declined 8 per cent to £4.7m, leaving total profits at the company, now majority-owned by Peel Holdings, flat at £1.5m.