Baby Cow Productions Ltd is a
UK comedy television production company established in 1999 by
Steve Coogan and
Henry Normal based in London and Manchester. It has since diversified into
radio,
animation and
film. In 2008,
BBC Worldwide bought a 25% stake in the company. The acquisition was made at a time when BBC Worldwide was being criticised for its "out of control" ventures, though Normal told
The Guardian that BBC Worldwide had not made the highest bid. The company's name is a reference to Coogan's early characters Paul and Pauline Calf.