Holly Willoughby’s TV producer husband Dan Baldwin is reportedly embroiled in a dispute with Butlin’s over BBC show Gladiators.
It has been claimed that Dan’s production company Hungry Bear Media is in ‘a row’ with the holiday camp company after agreeing a licensing deal.
Under the agreement, Butlin’s is reportedly allowed to use Gladiators’ logo and branding for its Meet The Stars of Gladiators experience.
However, Hungry Bear Media only owns the TV rights, while entertainment giant MGM handles the logo and branding rights.
The Amazon-owned production and distribution firm is now reportedly banning the use of the Gladiators logo and costumes at Butlin’s.
Instead, Meet The Stars of Gladiators performers have been competing in black tracksuits at the Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness resorts.
A source told The Sun: ‘It seems Dan’s Hungry Bear Media and Butlin’s have got into a row over this.
‘It’s resulted in the Gladiators coming out in an all-black outfit on a stage with no TV logos behind it.’
A spokesperson for Butlin’s told Metro: ‘We can confirm our ‘Meet the Stars of Gladiators’ experience is still very much taking place this year at Butlin’s.
Due to external commitments, they will no longer be appearing on a small number of dates and all impacted guests have been notified.
‘We’ve added in our exclusive Masked Singer Live show in its place. We are very sorry for any disappointment caused.’
MGM and Hungry Bear Media declined to comment when approached by The Sun.
Metro has also reached out to MGM, Hungry Bear and Butlin’s for comment.
Last month, it was reported that Dan and Holly’s media production and management firm Roxy Media was at risk of closure over an unpaid tax bill.
The company’s most recent accounts show it owed £329,715 in corporation tax for the year up to August 2023.
A hearing related to Roxy Media, which was founded in 2020, is scheduled to take place on April 16.
An HMRC spokeswoman said at the time: ‘We take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts and only file winding-up petitions once we’ve exhausted all other options, in order to protect taxpayers’ money.’
Dan is considered one of the most influential and powerful executives in the British TV industry.
His career started at the BBC as a researcher on Live and Kicking before going on to produce shows like Celebrity Juice and Virtually Famous.
In 2014, Dan co-founded Hungry Bear with Juliet Denison Gay.
Holly and Dan met on the kids’ TV show Ministry Of Mayhem in 2004, which Holly co-hosted with Stephen Mulhern
They married in 2007 and share three children: Harry, 15, Belle,13, and Chester, ten.
Gladiators is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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