Advertisers who cannot chase the fines 50 film companies have been removed | The film industry

The producer of many films, whose projects starred Frasier’s Kelsey Grammer and Four Weddings and Anna’s Funeral Chancellormany of its manufacturing businesses were forcibly removed from the UK company register, leaving workers unable to chase unpaid fines.

Alan Latham, whose low-budget films have been around for a long time raised questions about taxationhas seen as many as 50 of his businesses being forced out of business by Companies House, according to the filmmakers’ union, Bectu.

Enforcement action occurs when Companies House liquidates a company for failing to comply with the rules, such as ignoring warnings to keep annual accounts or shareholder disclosure statements. Failure to produce these documents on time is a case and offensive companies are often excluded.

However, once a company is deregistered it is no longer an entity against which creditors can file objections. Film crews told the Guardian that they have been unable to collect on Latham’s past debts, including those that were withdrawn.

One of Latham’s companies, City Girls Productions, was set up to produce the film City Girls, by Elizabeth Hurleywhich began filming in Yorkshire in 2021 but was abandoned when a cast member contracted Covid-19.

One of the crew said they were among the many filmmakers who started their careers who were underpaid.

“We were all young, eager for work and to prove our worth. We were too happy – which comes from not understanding – and we were taken advantage of,” he said.

“It seemed like they were using small strokes as their currency, without us acknowledging or having any way of knowing that this was their MO (modus operandi).”

A second agent, who had worked on Latham’s unfinished film Rufus Kane, said his business was owed thousands of pounds by production company RK Film Productions.

“We have every excuse under there (not being paid),” he said. “It was so bad that we almost collapsed. We had no choice but to freeze the loan. Even just talking brings up old scars.”

City Girls Productions and RK Film Productions They were decommissioned by Companies House in 2024 and 2025 respectively. The Guardian has been told of some of Latham’s productions where film crews say they were not paid.

In total, 50 companies have been deregistered by Companies House while Latham was director, Bectu’s analysis shows. Businesses were delayed in filing annual accounts or verification documents more than 400 times, according to additional research by the business firm Tech City Labs.

The number of steps taken to liquidate Latham’s companies raises questions about whether he was prepared for the liquidation of many of his businesses.

Independent companies – often called special vehicles or SPVs – are often formed to manage a single project and tend to continue trading for years after a film’s release to raise funds, according to industry sources.

Latham – who remains the chairman of some 50 operating companies, according to Companies House data – is a well-known figure within the UK film industry. He is credited as a producer on 81 releases since 1996 with two other films produced, according to the movie website IMDb.com.

In November The Guardian also reported questions about the funding of some of Latham’s filmswhere the internal rate of return appears to be lower than the published figures used to determine the amount of tax that is reported.

Latham was contacted for comment.