GREENLIT, the TV producer behind Foyle’s War, is in talks with programme distributor Target Entertainment and may be bought for up to £6m.

Greenlit is owned by Jill Green, wife of the author Anthony Horowitz who wrote most of the episodes for the wartime detective drama.

Foyle’s War returns to ITV1 for its sixth and final series in January. It is thought the sale could tie in Horowitz to future TV work.

The deal will mark a change of tack for Target, which sells programme formats and shows such as Footballers’ Wives and Fifi and the Flowertots into foreign territories on behalf of producers, but makes few programmes itself.

It also signals the company’s intention to play a wider role in the fast-consolidating television production market, which has seen several deals this year.

Target’s shareholders include entrepreneur Richard Thompson, who bought the business from CSS Stellar in 2005. He is also a backer of West End musical Billy Elliot.

Electra Quoted, the smaller-companies arm of Electra Partners — soon to be renamed Acuity Capital — came on board more recently.

It provided £6m of equity in July to back acquisitions. Since then, Target has bought Minotaur, the overseas distribution arm of Virgin Media.

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