Acquisition Resources

Andrew Neil, former Editor of The Sunday Times and chief executive of the Spectator group, has agreed to pay £4 million for the struggling literary and talent agency, Peters Fraser & Dunlop (PFD).Mr Neil’s consortium has agreed to purchase the agency in a deal worth a third of what entertainment group, CSS Stellar, paid for PFD in 2001. The majority of PFD's agents, who looked after stars such as Keira Knightley, Nick Hornby and Ricky Gervais, walked out last year to form rival United Agents. The move came after a failed bid to buy the agency from its owners, CSS Stellar.