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Royalties
World Wide Group holds rights to a number of historic documentary films, including the Academy Award-winning Thursday's Children. We license footage and full works to broadcasters, researchers, and cultural institutions worldwide.
Our catalogue
Our archive spans documentary films produced under our former name, World Wide Pictures, and works for which we hold ongoing royalty arrangements. Below are the key titles for which we manage licensing and access.
Alongside Thursday's Children we also have a strong archive of Catherine Cookson adaptations.
Catherine Cookson adaptations
Between 1989 and 1997, ITV produced a celebrated series of adaptations of Catherine Cookson's novels; period dramas set in North East England, drawing audiences of ten to fourteen million and starring some of Britain's finest acting talent. World Wide Group holds royalty arrangements across the following titles.
The Fifteen Streets
The first of the ITV Cookson series. Set in Edwardian Tyneside, it follows docker John O'Brien whose love for a schoolteacher crosses the rigid class divide of his community. Starring Sean Bean, Owen Teale, Billie Whitelaw, and Ian Bannen — it established the template for the series and drew wide critical acclaim.
The Glass Virgin
Set in 1870s Northumberland, Annabella Lagrange discovers she is not the legitimate daughter she believed herself to be — and is thrust into a world far removed from the genteel life she knew. A story of identity and survival across the class divide.
The Wingless Bird
Set on the eve of the First World War, Agnes Conway is the strong-willed daughter of a Newcastle shopkeeper whose romance with a wealthy gentleman tests the rigid class boundaries of Edwardian England. Widely considered one of the strongest adaptations in the series.
The Man Who Cried
A two-part drama following the life of Abel Mason, an illegitimate son who rises from poverty in rural Northumberland. A story of secrets, identity, and the long shadow of family shame — set across the early twentieth century.
The Gambling Man
A three-part drama following Rory Connor, a rent collector in Victorian Tyneside who risks everything on his ambition to better himself. A richly drawn portrait of a man caught between the world he came from and the life he craves.
The Moth
Set in 1913, a skilled carpenter leaves the Jarrow shipyards for a village where an encounter with a young woman changes the course of his life. A quietly moving story of class, longing, and the limits placed on ordinary ambition.
The Cinder Path
A three-part series starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. A farmer's son in early twentieth-century Northumberland escapes a tyrannical father — only to carry his secrets into the trenches of the First World War. One of the darkest and most dramatic entries in the series.
The Tide of Life
Starring Gillian Kearney and Ray Stevenson, this three-part series follows Emily Kennedy — a young housekeeper in rural North East England — navigating her relationships with three very different men as she builds a life on her own terms.
The Rag Nymph
Starring Honeysuckle Weeks, this three-part drama is set in Victorian Newcastle. A rag and bone woman takes in a young girl in an act of impulsive kindness — and the girl's life unfolds across decades of secrets, social prejudice, and hard-won independence.
The Dwelling Place
A three-part drama set in early nineteenth-century Northumberland. Sixteen-year-old Cissie Brodie is left to fend for her younger siblings after her parents die — and must navigate poverty, betrayal, and an unwanted pregnancy with fierce determination.
The Girl
A TV movie following Hannah Boyle, a servant girl in late Victorian Northumberland who must navigate desire, danger, and the narrow options available to women of her class — a characteristic Cookson portrait of resilience under pressure.
Our rates
Our royalty rates are aligned with BFI standard rates, updated January 2025. All enquiries are handled individually; please contact us to discuss your requirements.
How the process works
1.
Get in touch with your intended use, territory, and timeframe.
2.
We confirm availability and applicable rates in writing.
3.
Licence agreement issued and signed.
4.
Access to the film or footage provided in agreed format.
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