Oxford Scientific Films

This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. (March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Oxford Scientific Films (OSF) is a British company that produces natural history and documentary programmes. Founded as an independent company on 8 July 1968, by documentary filmmaker Gerald Thompson, it broke new ground in the world of documentaries, using new filming techniques and capturing footage of never before filmed activities of its various subjects.^{[citation needed]} In 1996, Oxford Scientific Films was sold to Circle Communications, where it retained its own identity as a division within the company. The following year, Circle Communications was taken over by Southern Star Entertainment UK. Under the new ownership, Oxford Scientific Films produced multiple award-winning programmes and films^{[citation needed]}, including the Animal Planet series Meerkat Manor.

In March 2008, Southern Star merged its Sydney-based factual business division into the Oxford Scientific Films division, using the OSF name for specialist documentaries, and "Southern Star Factual" for its features and entertainment style documentaries. When Southern Star was sold to Endemol, Oxford Scientific Films was retained by parent company Fairfax Media. In 2011, Boom Pictures Productions obtained a controlling 70% share of the company.