UNIVERSAL FILM LABORATORY
⚰️Wound downdissolved
00873433 · private-unlimited · incorporated 1966-03-09
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 44.6y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
65/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 9999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 65/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 63). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 44.6y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 44.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 20/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: low (52/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
15 officers (2 active, 15 linked, 9 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
14 connected companies via shared directors
87
Filing history
130 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
65/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
30
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (55 events)Click to expand
- 2012-04-24📄gazette-dissolved-voluntarygazette · GAZ2(A)
- 2012-04-24🏁Company dissolved
- 2012-01-10📄gazette-notice-voluntarygazette · GAZ1(A)
- 2011-12-28📄dissolution-application-strike-off-companydissolution · DS01
- 2011-10-10📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2011-09-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2010-09-09📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2010-08-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2009-10-20📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2009-10-19📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2009-10-09📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-addressaddress · AD01
- 2009-09-03📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2009-07-16📄accounts-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AA
- 2009-03-16📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2009-03-12➖GRANADA NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2008-10-09📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2008-09-15📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2008-07-14📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2008-07-14📄legacyofficers · 288a
- 2008-07-14📄legacyofficers · 288a
- 2008-07-11📄legacyofficers · 288b
- 2008-07-01➕IRVING, Eleanor Kate appointeddirector
- 2008-07-01➕TAUTZ, Helen Jane appointeddirector
- 2008-07-01➖GRANADA NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
- 2008-07-01➖ITV PRODUCTIONS LTD resignedcorporate-director
- 2008-05-09📄accounts-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AA
- 2008-01-21📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2007-07-21📄accounts-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AA
- 2007-03-13📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 2007-03-08📄legacyofficers · 288c
- 2007-01-03📄legacyofficers · 288c
- 2005-12-13➖IRVING, Eleanor Kate resignedsecretary
- 2005-12-13➕GRANADA NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2005-12-13➖IRVING, Eleanor Kate resigneddirector
- 2005-12-13➖TAUTZ, Helen Jane resigneddirector
- 2005-12-13➕GRANADA NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
- 2005-12-13➕ITV PRODUCTIONS LTD appointedcorporate-director
- 2005-04-07➕IRVING, Eleanor Kate appointedsecretary
- 2005-04-07➖WOODALL, Sarah Louise resignedsecretary
- 2005-04-07➕IRVING, Eleanor Kate appointeddirector
- 2004-04-30➖ARNEY, Nicholas John resigneddirector
- 2004-01-30➖ABDOO, David resignedsecretary
- 2004-01-30➕WOODALL, Sarah Louise appointedsecretary
- 2004-01-30➖ABDOO, David resigneddirector
- 2004-01-30➕TAUTZ, Helen Jane appointeddirector
- 2001-08-31➕ARNEY, Nicholas John appointeddirector
- 2001-08-31➖KIDWELL, James Richard De Villeneuve resigneddirector
- 1996-09-27➕KIDWELL, James Richard De Villeneuve appointeddirector
- 1996-09-27➖LANE, Gary Arron resigneddirector
- 1993-11-19➕ABDOO, David appointeddirector
Showing most recent 50 of 55 events
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 18 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
79/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 18 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 60 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 high ·Company dissolved
highCompany has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.
Evidence: Dissolved on 2012-04-24
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Other · SE postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACMR 117 LIMITED→ 09999518 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 120 LIMITED→ 09999449 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 121 LIMITED→ 09999649 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 124 LIMITED→ 09999665 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 125 LIMITED→ 09999756 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 126 LIMITED→ 09999687 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 127 LIMITED→ 09999667 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 129 LIMITED→ 09999881 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 133 LIMITED→ 09999700 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACMR 135 LIMITED→ 09999941 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACTION VISAS LIMITED→ 04066424 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| ACTIS AFRICA 4 A LP→ LP015191 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusdissolved
Typeprivate-unlimited
Incorporated1966-03-09
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC9999 — SIC 9999
Registered office
The London Television Centre
Upper Ground
London
SE1 9LT
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2010-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —
Officers (0 active · 13 resigned)
IRVING, Eleanor Kate→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2008-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
TAUTZ, Helen Jane→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2008-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ABDOO, David→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2004-01-30
IRVING, Eleanor Kate→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-04-07 · resigned 2005-12-13
WOODALL, Sarah Louise→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-01-30 · resigned 2005-04-07
GRANADA NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2005-12-13 · resigned 2009-03-12
ABDOO, David→
Resigneddirector · ~65y · appointed 1993-11-19 · resigned 2004-01-30
ARNEY, Nicholas John→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 2001-08-31 · resigned 2004-04-30
HILLS, Deborah Anne→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · resigned 1993-11-19
IRVING, Eleanor Kate→
Resigneddirector · ~60y · appointed 2005-04-07 · resigned 2005-12-13
KIDWELL, James Richard De Villeneuve→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 1996-09-27 · resigned 2001-08-31
LANE, Gary Arron→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 1993-11-19 · resigned 1996-09-27
TAUTZ, Helen Jane→
Resigneddirector · ~63y · appointed 2004-01-30 · resigned 2005-12-13
GRANADA NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2005-12-13 · resigned 2008-07-01
ITV PRODUCTIONS LTD→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2005-12-13 · resigned 2008-07-01
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Bank PLC | Letter of set-off | 1 property | 29/10/1981 | 29/07/1988 |
Recent filings (130 total)
gazette-dissolved-voluntary
gazette · GAZ2(A)
2012-04-24
gazette-notice-voluntary
gazette · GAZ1(A)
2012-01-10
dissolution-application-strike-off-company
dissolution · DS01
2011-12-28
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2011-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2011-09-13
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-09-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2010-08-12
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2009-10-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2009-10-19
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address
address · AD01
2009-10-09
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2009-09-03
accounts-with-made-up-date
accounts · AA
2009-07-16
legacy
officers · 288b
2009-03-16
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2008-10-09
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2008-09-15