Panda TV Ltd is the new name of Real World Pictures Ltd, to more accurately reflect the company’s activities as a China specialist and in honour of our friends at the Panda Research Centre in Sichuan.

Originally formed in 1995 by Lloyd Miller to make programmes for BBC and Discovery Networks, when Jade Xia joined the company in 2006 it opened the door to filming in China. Our first project was some dramatised films about Ancient China for History Channel (US) which wowed their Executive Producers.

Filming in China was notoriously difficult for most Western companies and we had shown what could be achieved. Jade Xia had previously been a senior director/producer for 11 years in a major broadcaster in China so her understanding of how the system worked made all the difference to what we could achieve. The company morphed into being a China specialist helping others achieve what we had done.

Panda TV director Jade Xia at Wildscreen Festival, Bristol, UK

13 more years have passed and we have become a trusted source of knowledge and practical assistance to major UK/US broadcasters and other companies wishing to film in China. Broadcasting clients include BBC, SKY, National Geographic, PBS, History Channel. Production company clients include BBC Earth, OSF, Renegade, Nutopia, Brian Leith Productions and Passion Planet.

We have developed a reputation for saving time and budget for our clients, securing difficult access, approvals and permits, overseeing smooth productions and have occasionally been called in at the last minute to rescue other productions from disaster! We take great pride in having built this reputation and continue to grow our impressive list of high-level contacts in China. Our mission is to be the most dependable production partner you can have when filming in China.

Panda TV director Jade Xia at Wildscreen Festival, Bristol, UK