Work continues in bid to reclaim cash after demise of Rhino Television and Media Ltd
Connor Johnson
Liquidators are still trying to claw back cash five years after a Plymouth TV network went bust leaving debts of nearly £2m.
Rhino Television and Media Ltd collapsed in April 2021. Plymouth businessman Connor Johnson, a director, and his wife Lynn Johnson were both declared bankrupt.
The company, based at Sisna Park in Estover, owed HM Revenue and Customs more than £1.4m in unpaid tax and unsecured creditors more than £300,000.
Liquidators at Gaines Robson Insolvency Ltd, based in Leeds, have been trying to reclaim cash ever since.
In a newly published progress report for the year to March 2026, they revealed that £25,000 has been paid to HMRC in the past year, representing 1.67p in the pound.
This money came from almost £59,000 reclaimed from Mrs Johnson in the past year. She owed Rhino TV almost £393,000 when the company went under.
The report, filed at Companies House, said that a further claim is being made by the trustees in the bankruptcy and creditors may yet receive some more cash, and said: “There may be a further distribution from the bankruptcy of Mrs Johnson.”
It also said that HMRC has now received £300,000, which is a fraction of what it had been claiming, but added: “Future distributions to the secondary preferential creditors (HMRC) are anticipated subject to further recoveries from the bankruptcy estate of Mrs Johnson and future costs of the liquidation.”
Mr Johnson owed the company more than £415,000 but nothing has been realised and the report said nothing will come from his director’s loan account, which was overdrawn by £100,000.
Five unsecured creditors are claiming more than £347,000 – with Aurora Leasing Ltd short of nearly £300,000 of that total – but are unlikely to be paid anything.
Mr Johnson, aged 53 and from Plympton, was declared bankrupt in December 2022 and banned from being a company director for eight years after Rhino Television and Media went into creditors’ voluntary liquidation.
His 57-year-old wife had already been declared bankrupt, in April 2021, the same month Rhino Television and Media collapsed into insolvency.
The company did leave more than £12,000 in cash and in excess of £406,000 in the bank, but the cost of dealing with the insolvency has eaten up almost £157,000.
Rhino Television and Media was incorporated in 2015 and planned to launch in 2018 in 50 US states and 68 UK cities, offering 20 channels serving up programmes on “history, music, crime and investigation, sports, along with several other new and exciting interests for families, friends and loved ones”.
There were no posts on the company’s Twitter feed after 2016 and the channel’s website is no longer available. Mr Johnson did not wish to comment when contacted by PlymouthLive in 2022.
Mr Johnson is listed on Companies House as having been a director of 22 companies, all of which have been dissolved, apart from Rhino Television and Media which is in liquidation. Defunct companies include Patriot Airways Ltd, Patriot Yachts International Ltd, and Rhino Brewing Ltd.
Mr Johnson was once behind an ambitious bid for Devon’s Appledore Shipyard, and in 2020 he revealed an equally ambitious plan to bring hydrogen-powered aircraft and boats to the UK.
He wanted to trial two vessels, costing more than 1m euros for the pair, as water taxis running between Bristol and Cardiff.
Click here to join PlymouthLive on WhatsApp and we’ll send breaking news and top stories directly to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .