Boom year for British TV

Movie stars, and sex and violence in the animal kingdom helped make 2005 a boom year for the export of British TV programmes, according to figures out today

Total revenue from the sale of British TV shows around the globe increased by 21% last year to £632 million.

The top-selling UK TV programmes of 2005 were a three-way tie between the red-carpet movie event the Baftas, and two of Granada's natural history documentaries Chimps - The Dark Side, and Wild Sex.

Other top-selling British TV programmes include Midsomer Murders, Wild at Heart - the ITV drama starring Amanda Holden - and The Apprentice.

Today's report by Pact, the trade body for independent TV, found sales increased in Germany, Spain and the US, despite the fact that exports decreased there in 2004.

There was a 31% increase in exports to Germany following a 14% decrease in 2004, while sales to Spain shot up by 4% and exports to the US rose by 10%.
Sales to the rest of Western Europe increased by 85% last year.

The growth in the sale of TV formats alone - where the programme idea, but not the finished product, is purchased - was also strong, up 60% to £42 million in 2005.

Creative Industries Minister James Purnell said: "It's clear that audiences outside the UK love British TV - and why wouldn't they?

"We make some of the most diverse and creative programmes around the world.

"We're not just good at classic sitcoms and whodunnits such as My Family and Midsomer Murders. We're also great at creating new formats including Jamie's School Dinners, which had been reproduced in more than 70 countries."

Pact rights policy group chair Louise Pedersen said: "The last 18 months have seen a renewed interest in UK programmes and formats from buyers from around the world as they recognise the strength and originality of what is produced and developed here."

The annual UK TV export statistics for 2005 were collated for Pact by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.