SPECTATOR (1828) LIMITED(THE)
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2027-05-23 (in 1y)
Last made up 2026-05-09
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
£553K
+13.3% vs 2023
Net assets
£3M
-67.1% vs 2023
Employees
97
+14.1% vs 2023
Profit before tax
-£7M
+4.5% vs 2023
Name history
Renamed 1 time since incorporation
- SPECTATOR (1828) LIMITED(THE) 1982-12-02 → present
- SPECTATOR (1975) LIMITED(THE) 1975-11-07 → 1982-12-02
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
3-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | £18,438,000 | £18,127,000 | |
| Operating profit | — | -£6,912,000 | -£6,617,000 | |
| Profit before tax | — | -£6,911,000 | -£6,602,000 | |
| Net profit | — | -£6,920,000 | -£6,602,000 | |
| Cash | — | £488,000 | £553,000 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | — | £9,995,000 | £3,616,000 | |
| Net assets | — | £9,845,000 | £3,243,000 | |
| Equity | £16,765,000 | £9,845,000 | £3,243,000 | |
| Average employees | — | 85 | 97 | |
| Wages | — | £4,705,000 | £5,329,000 |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | — | -37.5% | -36.5% | |
| Net margin | — | -37.5% | -36.4% | |
| Return on capital employed | — | -69.2% | -183.0% | |
| Current ratio | — | 2.41x | 1.45x | |
| Interest cover | — | -3456.00x | — |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- HW Fisher Audit
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“At the time of approving the financial statements, the director has a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, on the basis that the ultimate controlling party has confirmed he will continue to provide financial support for at least 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements. Thus the director continues to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.”
Group structure
- SPECTATOR (1828) LIMITED(THE) · parent
- The Spectator (1828) Inc 100%
Significant events
- “This period concludes a turbulent time beginning with the receivership in 2023 of the previous owners of the company and Alix Partners appointed receivers of the company. In May 2024 the decision by the interim board was to launch the sales process of the business to repay the Barclay brothers group debt. The sales process was concluded on 10 September 2024 when the company, with all its owned publications, was acquired by Old Queen Street Ventures Ltd.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
1 active · 27 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAYERS, Frederick Erland | Director | 2024-09-10 | Dec 1981 | British |
Show 27 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAVIES, Alan John | Secretary | 1996-09-12 | 2003-09-24 |
| GRIFFITHS, Sally Jane | Secretary | 2003-09-25 | 2005-08-19 |
| RENTOUL, Anthony Mervyn | Secretary | — | 1996-08-31 |
| BROOMFIELD SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2005-08-20 | 2013-09-16 |
| AMIEL, Barbara Joan Estelle | Director | 1993-05-13 | 2004-05-19 |
| BARCLAY, Aidan Stuart | Director | 2004-09-27 | 2023-06-07 |
| BARCLAY, Howard Myles | Director | 2004-09-27 | 2023-06-07 |
| BLACK, Conrad Moffat, Lord | Director | — | 2004-03-26 |
| CLUFF, John Gordon | Director | — | 2004-10-29 |
| COLSON, Daniel William | Director | — | 2004-03-23 |
| DEEDES, Jeremy Wyndham, The Hon | Director | 2004-05-12 | 2004-10-29 |
| DEUTSCH, Andre | Director | — | 1993-05-13 |
| DOMINGUEZ, Luis Charles | Director | 1994-02-10 | 1996-11-01 |
| FILDES, David Christopher | Director | — | 2004-10-29 |
| FORTIER, Kimberly | Director | 1997-12-04 | 2006-12-31 |
| GREEN, Owen, Sir | Director | — | 1992-11-19 |
| KING OF WARTNABY, John Leonard, The Lord | Director | 1993-05-13 | 2004-10-26 |
| MAUDE, Francis Anthony Aylmer, The Right Hon. | Director | 2000-10-09 | 2004-10-29 |
| MOWATT, Rigel Kent | Director | 2004-09-27 | 2023-06-07 |
| PETERS, Philip Leslie | Director | 2004-09-27 | 2023-06-07 |
| SEAL, Michael | Director | 2004-09-27 | 2019-06-07 |
| SHEEHY, Patrick, Sir | Director | — | 2004-10-29 |
| TEBBIT, Norman Beresford, Lord | Director | — | 2004-10-29 |
| WELCH, Stephen Hamilton | Director | 2023-06-07 | 2024-09-10 |
| WENTINK, Boudewijn Clemens | Director | 2023-06-07 | 2024-09-10 |
| WORSTHORNE, Peregrine, Sir | Director | — | 1995-08-30 |
| YOUNG, Dominic Cosmas Samson | Director | 2024-03-01 | 2024-09-10 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Queen Street Ventures Ltd | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2024-09-10 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 199 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2023-12-18 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2023-12-18 MA Memorandum articles
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-11 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2026-03-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-05-09 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-02-05 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-11-12 | ANNOTATION | miscellaneous | Legacy | |
| 2024-09-13 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-09-12 | PSC09 | persons-with-significant-control | Withdrawal of a person with significant control statement | |
| 2024-09-12 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-09-12 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-09-12 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-09-12 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-09-11 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2024-05-21 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-03-04 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-12-18 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2023-12-18 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2023-12-05 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2023-10-10 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2023-07-04 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-07-04 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 3
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 0
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.
Year-on-year
FY2023 → FY2024 · period ending 2024-12-31 vs 2023-12-31
-
Turnover
-1.7%
£18,438,000 £18,127,000
-
Cash
+13.3%
£488,000 £553,000
-
Net assets
-67.1%
£9,845,000 £3,243,000
-
Employees
+14.1%
85 97
-
Operating profit
+4.3%
-£6,912,000 -£6,617,000
-
Profit before tax
+4.5%
-£6,911,000 -£6,602,000
-
Wages
+13.3%
£4,705,000 £5,329,000
Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. Periods don't have to be exactly 12 months apart — a long or short period (typical around incorporation or year-end changes) will distort the comparison. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers