Monkey Kingdom founders exit after 23 years

The founders of Made In Chelsea indie Monkey Kingdom are standing down, 23 years since founding the indie.

David Granger and Will Macdonald are exiting the company, which has been part of the US group NBC Universal since 2010.

Their move follows the appointment of Laura Gibson, a former Talkback executive, who joins as creative director this summer. Monkey managing director Helen Kruger Bratt, who joined in November, is to head up the indie on an interim basis.

The entertainment and fact-ent producer has made 200 series since its inception in 2000, including 25 series of E4's Made in Chelsea plus ITVBe’s Real Housewives of Cheshire, Channel 5’s Celebrity Game Night, ITV2’s Don’t Hate the Playaz, BBC1’s That’s My Jam and Channel 4’s 2015 revival of TFI Friday, on which Macdonald was originally a producer and co-presenter in the late 1990s.

Granger and Macdonald said it was an “incredibly tough” decision to move on from 23 years with “a ridiculously lovely group of people”.

NBCU president Beatrice Springborn told staff: “In addition to building a compelling premium unscripted business, David and Will have also built a fantastic team and are leaving Monkey well-positioned for the future.   

“I want to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to David and Will for their dedication in building Monkey into the successful production company that it is today.”