PUBLIC UPDATE: Smoking Gun Document Exposes Court of Appeal Registry Fabricating "Filing Delay" to Blindside Single Judge and to shield Jurisdiction Nullity. Lower court judges possessing absolutely no jurisdiction or authority over the case have issued structurally void orders, completely bypassing a 8 December 2023 Notice of Hearing exclusively mandating Master McQuail.

Banner Universal Motion Pictures Limited is releasing a critical procedural update regarding its ongoing appellate battle to overturn the unauthorized, void orders issued by Deputy Master Linwood and Mr. Justice Mellor, and documentary proof that the Court of Appeal Civil Appeals Registry engineered a false timeline to deceive its own judge and block an appeal exposing a £352,000,000 structural fraud.

The court's actions are actively implicating the Respondents, their insurers, and their global clients—NBCUniversal and Banijay Group—in a grave perversion of justice.

FRAUD CHRONOLOGY

Master Litigation & Fraud Chronology regarding the systematic manipulation of Court of Appeal files and metadata. This describes below the specific individuals, corporate insurers, and administrative staff currently relying on void orders and post-dated court records to suppress undenied evidence and evade civil multi-million pound liability.

PART I: THE FOUR PILLARS OF THE FRAUD CHRONOLOGY

The multi-year legal battle surrounding BUMP and its Director reduces to this chain of events:

• The Foundation (#1): The substantive truth of the case, (the concealed contracts and undisputed evidence of perjury, suicide by a key witness following perjury, and independent witness statements corroborating the fraud), means the defense had no legal legs to stand on from day one; they had no legal basis to force the case before the court.
  
  
• The Judge-Swap Scheme & Void Orders (#2): Because the defense could not win on the substantive merits, they actively bypassed the specifically mandated judge (Master McQuail) to secure void orders from judges completely lacking jurisdiction or authority in this matter (Deputy Master Linwood and Mr Justice Mellor).
  
  
• The Cover-Up (#3): When BUMP identified the "judge-swap" scheme and the jurisdictional bypass and launched its Appeal on 17 February 2026, the court registry intervened to manually manipulate the electronic metadata. They post-dated the compliant filing date to an artificial date of 25 February 2026 to orchestrate a fraudulent appearance of procedural delay, “out of time filing”.
  
  
• The Consequence (#4): The Appeal judge, Lady Justice May, was completely blindsided and misled by this administrative manipulation. As a direct result, her resulting orders are an absolute nullity, incorrectly stating that BUMP’s Notice "was filed out of time" due to a reliance on the registry's fabricated file.
  
  

PART II: INVOLVED ENTITIES

A: The Corporate Defense and Insurers

• Caroline Kean (Partner, Wiggin LLP)
  
  
• Capacity: Retained solicitor acting for Friday TV AB, NBCUniversal, and Banijay Group / Endemol Shine Group.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Deliberate concealment of material “Minute To Win It” contracts; deployment of false witness statement; suppression of material facts surrounding witness suicide and status to mislead the court.
  
  
• Gary Oldroyd (Partner, Browne Jacobson LLP)
  
  
• Capacity: Professional indemnity solicitor acting directly on behalf of Wiggin LLP and its primary/excess insurers, Sompo International and HDI Global Specialty.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Knowingly deploying and relying upon perjured witness statements and void lower-court orders to insulate the insured firm from civil liability.
  
  
• Jonathan Wyles (Partner, RPC / Reynolds Porter Chamberlain)
  
  
• Capacity: Professional indemnity solicitor acting on behalf of Fox Williams LLP and its insurer, Aviva PLC.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Procuring administrative shields by relying on orders issued outside of the court's mandated jurisdiction; providing misleading representations to the court regarding filing timelines.

B: Instructed Counsels (The Barristers)

• Theo Barclay (Barrister, 4 New Square)
  
  
• Capacity: Junior counsel instructed by RPC / Aviva PLC to represent Fox Williams LLP in court.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Active deployment of undisputed perjured witness statements to procure a strike-out order under false pretenses; concealment of contractual agreements evidence.
  
  
• Hugh Evans (Barrister, 4 New Square)
  
  
• Capacity: Counsel instructed by Browne Jacobson LLP / Sompo / HDI to represent Wiggin LLP.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Jointly participating in the active deployment of undisputed perjured witness statements to procure a strike-out order under false pretenses; concealment of key evidence of contractual agreements and utilizing void lower-court rulings to suppress the Claimant's substantive right to a trial on the merits.

C: The Swedish Corporate Witnesses

• Jock Millgårdh (Co-Founder, Friday TV AB / Metronome Group) – Deceased
  
  
• Capacity: Executive Producer of "Minute To Win It"; primary factual witness for the defense.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Execution of false witness statements regarding meeting with BUMP’s Director, concealment of the existence of foundational agreements; subsequent suicide following his submission of undisputed perjury evidence under advice by Wiggin LLP.
  
  
• Estelle Bodén (formerly von Schinkel) (Co-Founder & CEO, Friday TV AB / Metronome Group / Banijay Nordic)
  
  
• Capacity: Corporate officer and Executive Producer of "Minute To Win It".
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Active concealment of the drafting history of the underlying contracts governing BUMP's intellectual property rights.
  
  
• Eva-Lotta Almkvist (Head of Legal and Business Affairs, Friday TV AB / Metronome / Banijay Nordic)
  
  
• Capacity: Internal corporate legal counsel.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Active participation in the drafting and subsequent intentional concealment of material commercial agreements.
  
  
• Lena Frånstedt Lofalk & Caroline von Heidenstam (Partners, KANTER Advokatbyrå / Foretagsjuridik Nord och Co)
  
  
• Capacity: External Swedish legal counsel responsible for advising Friday TV AB and Jock Millgårdh.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Intentional suppression of transnational corporate files and structural drafting history requested by BUMP to establish the true format ownership chain.

D: HMCTS Judicial and Administrative Officers

• Deputy Master Linwood & Mr Justice Mellor (High Court, Chancery Division)
  
  
• Capacity: Judicial officers presiding over the lower-court applications.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Acting in excess of jurisdiction by explicitly bypassing the designated court mandate of Master McQuail; issuing void orders and an unfounded Extended Civil Restraint Order (ECRO) that entirely ignored uncontested evidence of perjury, witness suicide, and fraud.
  
  
• Ann-Marie Smith (Administrative Officer, Court of Appeal / HMCTS)
  
  
• Capacity: Registry staff managing the digital filing and electronic bundle allocation.
  
  
• Substantive Allegations: Direct manual manipulation of electronic metadata, intentionally post-dating the Claimant's compliant electronic filing date of 17 February 2026 to an artificial date of 25 February 2026 to mislead the judiciary and fabricate a false appearance of filing delay.

LONDON: 9 June 2026

CASE REFERENCE: CA-2026-000340

APPELLANT: Banner Universal Motion Pictures Limited 

RESPONDENTS: Wiggin LLP (Legal Representatives: Browne Jacobson LLP), Fox Williams LLP (Legal Representatives Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP) 

In a shocking turn of events, the Court of Appeal Civil Appeals Registry has been caught attempting to engineer a false "out of time" narrative to block our appeal, directly contradicting its own electronic records, automated metadata, and previous written judicial orders.

The Reality vs. The Court's Fabricated Narrative

The court registry is currently attempting to claim that our appeal was not validly "issued" until 25 February 2026—conveniently placing it just outside the strict 21-day limitation window. However, the unalterable digital audit trail tells an entirely different story of strict statutory compliance:

• 17 February 2026 (Within Time): Banner validly filled out, signed, and filed the Form N161 Appellant’s Notice, paid the full statutory £646 filing fee, and submitted an extensive core bundle, including the Grounds of Appeal and Skeleton Argument proving a £352,000,000 structural fraud.

• Full Compliance with CPR Part 52 & PD 52B: This initial submission was in full compliance with Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) Part 52 and Practice Direction 52B. Under these strict rules, the baseline requirements to secure a filing date and stop the limitation clock are an N161, clear grounds, and the fee. Banner fully satisfied every single parameter within the limitation window.

• 18 February 2026 (Within Time): The Court Clerk reviewed, verified, and recognized this compliance, officially approving the filing and assigning Case Reference CA-2026-000340.

• The Smoking Gun Order: On 28 May 2026, Master Bancroft-Rimmer issued an explicit, written direction confirming: "The fee that you have already paid was TO 'ISSUE' your appellant’s notice."

The Bureaucratic Trap That Backfired

On 25 February 2026 (after the 21-day limitation period had passed), the court’s Jurisdiction Lawyer, Mrs. Levey, contacted Banner. Under CPR Part 52, while secondary documents like transcripts or specific sealed orders can follow later without invalidating the initial filing date, Mrs. Levey requested standard administrative amendments to the forms. Recognizing that the core appeal was already active, she opened her email with, "Thank you for your patience," and exercised case management powers to grant Banner a 7-day compliance window. Banner fully complied and returned the amendments on the exact same day.

Now, Master Meacher, via Ann-Marie Smith (Court Administrative Office), is attempting to invent a non-existent, highly illegal "pre-issue" rule, claiming the case was a ghost file until those minor amendments were processed on 25 February.

The legal absurdity is fatal to the court's credibility:

1. No Legal Authorization: If the Appellant's Notice was a non-existent nullity on 25 February, the Jurisdiction Lawyer Mrs Levey would have zero legal authority under CPR Part 52 to order amendments to it, nor could she grant a "7-day window" to amend a document that didn't legally exist.

2. Court-Controlled Timing: The court cannot deliberately wait until a limitation period expires to issue case management directives, accept same-day compliance from an appellant on a date of the court's own choosing, and then use its own processing delay to declare a fully compliant PD 52B filing "out of time."

The Registry’s Sudden Strategic Retreat

Yesterday, after Banner filed an airtight procedural challenge on the CE-File, the court dramatically shifted its goalposts. Master Bancroft-Rimmer issued an emergency direction, suddenly admitting that despite the registry's timeline dispute, Court of Appeal judge Lady Justice May went ahead and ruled on the "substantive merits" anyway.

This is a massive administrative concession: The timeline delay narrative is officially dead.

However, this admission exposes an even deeper systemic failure. Banner has today filed an urgent response demanding that the registry produce immediate proof from the face of the record that Lady Justice May was actually presented with a complete, uncorrupted file.

The public and the record deserve to know: How could a single judge rule on the "merits" of an appeal when she made absolutely zero reference to the extensive evidence filed, and completely ignored the core issue—that the lower court judges acted entirely without jurisdiction by bypassing the 8 December 2023 McQuail Mandate? (The court explicitly and exclusively mandated Master McQuail to hear the case, NOT Deputy Master Linwood nor Mr Justice Mellor)

Standing Firm Against Judicial Injustice

Banner has officially escalated this matter, copying the senior operational leadership of the Civil Division and filing an urgent request for a stay of these corrupt administrative fee demands.

The Court of Appeal cannot demand compounding "reopening fees" to cure a procedural breakdown engineered entirely by its own registry. We will not allow administrative minutiae to bury a multi-million-pound fraud and a constitutional breach of jurisdiction.

The digital audit trail is permanent, unalterable, and completely in our favor. We will keep the public fully informed as we force the Court of Appeal to answer for the integrity of its own files.

Stay tuned for further updates.

EXHIBITS
 

EXHIBIT 1 - ADMINISTRATIVE DECEPTION 25 FEBRUARY 2026, MANUFACTURED FILING DELAY. CASE NUMBER ISSUED ON 18 FEBRUARY 2026. 

EXHIBIT 2 - INITIAL FILING 17 FEBRUARY 2026

EXHIBIT 3 - FILING APPROVAL, COURT RECEIPT, CASE NUMBER ISSUED 18 FEBRUARY 2026

EXHIBIT 4 - LADY JUSTICE MAY INCORRECT ORDER (ALLEGING FILING DELAY) 13 MAY 2026

EXHIBIT 5 - SECTION 11 OF N161 APPELLANT’S NOTICE, COMPREHENSIBLE REASONS FOR APPEAL: JURISDICTION NULLITY… 17 FEBRUARY 2026

EXHIBIT 6 - LADY JUSTICE MAY INCORRECT AMENDED ORDER(ALLEGING FILING DELAY, IGNORING JURISDICTION NULLITY) 21 MAY 2026

EXHIBIT 7 - MASTER McQUAIL MANDATE 8 DECEMBER 2023

EXHIBIT 8 - VOID ORDER. 23 FEBRUARY 2024: DEPUTY MASTER LINWOOD BYPASSED McQUAIL MANDATE 

AND ISSUED VOID ORDERS DEPISTE HAVING NO JURISDICTION OR AUTHORITY IN THE CASE.

EXHIBIT 9 - VOID ORDER. ILLEGAL ECRO. THE COURT EXPLICITLY MANDATED MASTER McQUAIL TO HEAR THE CASE. 23 MAY 2025: MR JUSTICE MELLOR BYPASSED McQUAIL MANDATE AND ISSUED VOID ORDERS DEPISTE HAVING NO JURISDICTION OR AUTHORITY IN THE CASE.

Background (LUXURY TRAP/ Lyxfällan)

In February 2006, I, Derek Banner, founder of BUMP Productions, pitched the TV format Luxury Trap to Metronome (later acquired by the Banijay Group), TV3 Denmark, and I discussed the format with Friday TV. Luxury Trap was designed as a financial reality TV show to help individuals in Denmark manage their spiraling debts due to overspending and living beyond their means, with expert financial guidance.

The format was later adapted for Swedish television, under the title Lyxfällan (which translates to Luxury Trap), and has since been replicated in other countries, including Norway (Luksusfellen) and Denmark (Luksusfælden). This highly successful format, alongside my other work, such as Minute To Win It (also pitched to Friday TV), has become internationally recognized and exploited by major networks, including NBCUniversal.

However, despite the extensive success and exploitation of these formats, BUMP Productions has yet to receive any royalties or proper compensation for the intellectual property rights associated with Luxury Trap and Minute To Win It from Metronome / Banijay / Endemolshine, TV3, and associated parties.

The Legal Struggle
Since the initial airing of Lyxfällan in November 2006, I have faced ongoing legal challenges to secure fair compensation for the exploitation of Luxury Trap. Over the past 15 years, I have uncovered a systematic fraud scheme orchestrated by Metronome's legal team and their associates. This deception not only pertains to Luxury Trap but also involves Minute To Win It, which was later sold by Friday TV (a Metronome and Banijay's subsidiary) to NBCUniversal and aired in over 50 countries. Jock Millgardh, co-founder of Friday TV, to whom I pitched the Minute To Win It format at a pitch-meeting in Stockholm and who sold it to NBCUniversal died by suicide after issuing a false witness statement to the court and perjured himself, he acted upon advice by Metronome's and Banijay Group / Endemolshine's lawyers.

Despite having compelling evidence of these deceptive practices, the case has been obstructed by individuals and institutions with vested interests in protecting the status quo. Key evidence of perjury and corroborating witness statement has been ignored or suppressed by lawyers and by judges who had no jurisdiction or authority over the matter, and Metronome’s / Banijay / Endemolshine's legal teams in Sweden and UK have used this to shield themselves from accountability.

Commitment to Justice
I am committed to seeking the truth and securing justice for BUMP Productions. Our company has substantial, undeniable evidence supporting our claims of intellectual property theft, fraudulent legal actions, and unfair business practices. While the legal battle has been prolonged and arduous, we are resolute in our pursuit of justice.

This case is not just about royalties - it is about ensuring that creators are properly recognized and compensated for their intellectual property. No individual or company should be allowed to profit from another's hard work and creativity through fraud and deceit.

Moving Forward
BUMP Productions will continue to take legal action and explore all available avenues to hold Metronome, TV3, and associated parties accountable for their actions. We are confident that with the right legal framework and public support, the truth will come to light, and justice will be served.

We remain committed to protecting the rights of creators and ensuring that our intellectual property is treated with the respect it deserves.

UNADDRESSED EXHIBITS (MINUTE TO WIN IT)

Explicitly ignored damning evidence and imposition of a baseless and unfounded restraining order by a judge who lacked jurisdiction or authority in the case to silence BUMP and to shield prominent law firms and insurance companies from an undisputed multi-million pound professional indemnity debt.

Acting to shield parties from a debt without authority is a "dishonest" abuse of power and an act of Misconduct in Public Office (MiPO) - a serious common law offence.

Section 10 of the Application Notice dated 29 May 2025 - which The Claimant PAID FOR, SEALED by the court, AND PUT BEFORE THE JUDGE, MR JUSTICE MELLOR.

RECEIPT - PAYMENT CONFIRMATION - 29 MAY 2025 APPLICATION NOTICE. PROOF THAT MR JUSTICE MELLOR ISSUED A FALSE STATEMENT OF FACT IN HIS COURT RULING

JUDGE SWAP SCHEME: A judge who has no jurisdiction or authority over a case cannot validly impose an extended restraint order or any binding order on a claimant, and an order issued by a court lacking subject-matter or personal jurisdiction is considered void ab initio (void from the beginning) and is a legal nullity, - it has no legal effect. 

The NOTICE OF HEARING below DATED 8 DECEMBER 2023 clearly states that the case hearing was scheduled BEFORE MASTER McQUAIL, NOT Mr Justice Mellor or Deputy Master Linwood, rendering all subsequent orders void ab initio, - there was never an announcement of change of jurisdiction or judge. MR JUSTICE MELLOR, KNOWING HE HAS NO JURISDICTION OR AUTHORITY TO DECIDE ON THE MATTER, CHOOSES TO IGNORE THIS UNDENIABLE COURT NOTICE AND REFUSES TO SET THE LINWOOD VOID ORDER ASIDE. INSTEAD, HE CHARACTERIZES THE CLAIMANT'S CLAIMS AGAINST THE DEFENDANTS (PROMINENT LAW FIRMS AND THEIR INSURANCE COMPANIES) A "FANTASY', "CONSPIRACY THEORY". HIS ORDERS ARE VOID WITH NO LEGAL EFFECT.

Pursuant to the explicit Court Notice dated 8 December 2023, Master McQuail held the sole, mandated judicial authority to conduct hearings in this matter. The subsequent unlawful transfer of jurisdiction away from Master McQuail—routing proceedings through alternative judges lacking authorized mandates (Deputy Master Linwood and Mr Justice Mellor)—renders the derivative orders, including the Extended Civil Restraint Order (ECRO), complete nullities. A court cannot validate or enforce orders that stem from an absolute absence of lawful jurisdiction

PERJURY AND SUICIDE BY DEFENDANTS' KEY WITNESS. MR JUSTICE MELLOR, WITH NO JURISDICTION OR AUTHORITY TO DECIDE ON THE MATTER, EXPLICITLY IGNORES THIS UNDENIED TRAGIC FACT IN HIS RULING. INSTEAD, HE CHARACTERIZES THE CLAIMANT'S CLAIMS AGAINST THE DEFENDANTS (PROMINENT LAW FIRMS) A "FANTASY', "CONSPIRACY THEORY".

This is Jock Millgårdh, Metronome and Banijay's ex-employee, co-founder of Friday TV Ab:

He committed suicide after he issued a false witness statement to the court upon advice by law firm Wiggin LLP.

He stated in his witness statement below of 30 September 2016 that the meeting he held with me in November 2005 was ONLY about one idea, "Celebrity Birthday”:

However, below, in his email message to me of 5 September 2011, he and his CEO Estelle Bodén (von Schinkel) stated several ideas which we discussed at that meeting:

Why is the court avoiding this?
How is this "Totally Without Merit”?
Why did Deputy Master Linwood state in his judgment “No evidence of perjury was put before me” when he knew this was untrue?
How is such a factual and unaddressed tragic suicide of a key witness be labelled "Totally Without Merit"?

WITNESS STATEMENT CORROBORATING JOCK MILLGÅRDH'S PERJURY, WHICH MR JUSTICE MELLOR CHOOSES TO IGNORE. INSTEAD, WITH NO JURISDICTION OR AUTHORITY TO DECIDE ON THE MATTER, HE CHARACTERIZES THE CLAIMANT'S CLAIMS AGAINST THE DEFENDANTS (PROMINENT LAW FIRMS) A "FANTASY', "CONSPIRACY THEORY".

Below is the Witness Statement of Massimo Locci, who was present at my meeting with Jock Millgårdh, and he states nine ideas which were discussed, including "Minute Winner - you got one minute to win it." He corroborates Jock Millgårdh committed perjury.
Why is the court avoiding this? - How does this justify the court and Mr Justice Mellor labelling the Claimant's claim "Totally Without Merit”?

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Forensic Discovery of Concealed Contract Documents: The following file paths IN SWEDISH language were identified on the Metronome/Friday TV server (MUTTER MEDIA) used by Friday TV’s Head of Legal Eva-Lotta Almkvist, immediately following BUMP's 2011 inquiry to Friday TV and Millgårdh: “Avtal / Avtalsunderlag” are Swedish for “Contract / Contract Documents”