Layoffs take place at Ricochet, the "repair shop" maker

EXCLUSIVE: A number of staff have been made redundant at Ricochet, the Skydance-owned UK indie company that produces hit BBC show The Repair Shop, including chief creative officer Damon Pattison. We understand that around 10 staff left a few weeks ago, including Pattison and Rob Butterfield, who ran the independent Scotland office. This represents less than a third […]

EXCLUSIVE: A number of staff have been made redundant at Ricochet, the Skydance-owned UK indie company that produces hit BBC show The Repair Shop, including chief creative officer Damon Pattison.

We understand that around 10 staff left a few weeks ago, including Pattison and Rob Butterfield, who ran the independent Scotland office. According to Ricochet's website, this represents less than a third of the total workforce, which now stands at 24 across offices in Brighton and Glasgow. Joanna Ball remains MD.

We understand that this decision was made in response to market conditions and was made long before the Skydance deal closed. A spokesperson for Ricochet confirmed that layoffs had already taken place but declined to comment further. RELATED STORIES MIPCOM 2026 BID FESTIVALS: Surf the new wave of TV with YouTube, 'Baywatch', Skydance, Banijay and more News 'Friends' returns to Channel 4 after 15 years

Ricochet is best known for The Repair Shop, the heartwarming BBC series that ran for a decade and spawned several spin-offs. Each episode of the ratings follows professional craftspeople from around the country who recreate family heirlooms that hold sentimental value for their owners. Watch on Deadline

Ricochet's other credits include Custom Cars by Guz Khan, New Lives in the Wild and Sun, Sea & Selling Houses by Ben Fogle.

Pattison joined Ricochet more than two years ago after leaving the UK arm of Pooch Perfect Beyond Productions. While there, the veteran British producer acquired the rights to the Australian series Muster Dogs and was commissioned by Guz Khan.

This news is accompanied by the dismissal of the television industry in the UK. The BBC and Channel 4 are shedding hundreds of jobs while sales executives have left newly merged Banijay since the All3Media deal closed.

Along with Who Do You Think You Are? Independent media Wall to Wall and First Dates, Twenty Twenty, Ricochet is one of three British indies owned by Warner now under the Skydance banner.

However, Ricochet's layoffs are not a result of the Skydance deal, and production insiders have said they are currently none the wiser about their future under David Ellison. For the most part, Skydance international is currently headlined by JB Perrette, and more acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

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