ILLUMINATIONS FILMS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03226529 · ltd · incorporated 1996-07-18
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2024
Net worth
£-3.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Motion picture production activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 29.0y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 29.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (73/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (1 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
92 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £3,738

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£7k
Net Worth
-£4k
Current Assets
£8k
Current Liabilities
—

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-03-31
Total assets£-3.7k
Current assets£8.3k
Cash£6.8k
Debtors£1.5k
Net assets£-3.7k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 2 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-05
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  2. 2026-02-05
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  3. 2025-11-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-12-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-12-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-05-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-10-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-05-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-09-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-07-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2016-12-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  13. 2016-12-21
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  14. 2016-12-21
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2016-12-09
    ➖
    GRIFFITHS, Keith Mervyn, Mr. resigned
    secretary
  16. 2016-12-09
    ➖
    WYVER, John Frederick, Professor resigned
    director
  17. 2016-11-30
    ➖
    FIELD, Simon resigned
    director
  18. 2016-11-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  19. 2004-04-01
    ➕
    FIELD, Simon appointed
    director
  20. 2003-03-31
    ➕
    GRIFFITHS, Keith Mervyn, Mr. appointed
    secretary
  21. 2003-03-31
    ➖
    KEATS, Christine resigned
    secretary
  22. 2001-03-20
    ➖
    HUNT, Robert Paul resigned
    secretary
  23. 2001-03-20
    ➕
    KEATS, Christine appointed
    secretary
  24. 2001-03-20
    ➖
    ZUCK, Linda Rosamund resigned
    director
  25. 1999-02-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: British Screen Finance Limited
  26. 1997-06-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: European Co-Production Fund Limited
  27. 1996-07-18
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ILLUMINATIONS FILMS LIMITED
  28. 1996-07-18
    ➕
    GRIFFITHS, Keith Mervyn, Mr. appointed
    director
  29. 1996-07-18
    ➕
    GRAEME, Dorothy May appointed
    nominee-secretary
  30. 1996-07-18
    ➖
    GRAEME, Dorothy May resigned
    nominee-secretary
  31. 1996-07-18
    ➕
    HUNT, Robert Paul appointed
    secretary
  32. 1996-07-18
    ➕
    GRAEME, Lesley Joyce appointed
    nominee-director
  33. 1996-07-18
    ➖
    GRAEME, Lesley Joyce resigned
    nominee-director
  34. 1996-07-18
    ➕
    WYVER, John Frederick, Professor appointed
    director
  35. 1996-07-18
    ➕
    ZUCK, Linda Rosamund appointed
    director

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 30 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 30 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr. Keith Mervyn Griffiths
Individual · British · DOB 08/1947 · age 79
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting02/02/2026
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mr Keith Griffithsceased 02/02/2026· 50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒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 →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1996-07-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC59111 — Motion picture production activities

Registered office

First Floor
677 High Road
London
N12 0DA

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-01
Last: 2025-07-18

Officers (1 active · 8 resigned)

GRIFFITHS, Keith Mervyn, Mr.→
director · ~79y · appointed 1996-07-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GRAEME, Dorothy May→
nominee-secretary · appointed 1996-07-18 · resigned 1996-07-18
Resigned
GRIFFITHS, Keith Mervyn, Mr.→
secretary · appointed 2003-03-31 · resigned 2016-12-09
Resigned
HUNT, Robert Paul→
secretary · appointed 1996-07-18 · resigned 2001-03-20
Resigned
KEATS, Christine→
secretary · appointed 2001-03-20 · resigned 2003-03-31
Resigned
FIELD, Simon→
director · ~80y · appointed 2004-04-01 · resigned 2016-11-30
Resigned
GRAEME, Lesley Joyce→
nominee-director · ~73y · appointed 1996-07-18 · resigned 1996-07-18
Resigned
WYVER, John Frederick, Professor→
director · ~71y · appointed 1996-07-18 · resigned 2016-12-09
Resigned
ZUCK, Linda Rosamund→
director · ~71y · appointed 1996-07-18 · resigned 2001-03-20
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
British Screen Finance
British Screen Finance Limited
Deed of loan and security1 property18/02/1999—
outstanding
European Co-Production Fund
European Co-Production Fund Limited
Deed of security assignment1 property09/06/1997—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (92 total)

cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-05
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-05-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-21