BBC toasts success of Lost World

The BBC is celebrating after exporting one of its Christmas television highlights to more than 20 countries worldwide.

The major new adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World will now be shown in countries as far afield as Australia, Russia and Singapore.

The epic tale of adventure and heroism follows a British expedition at the turn of the century which discovers an area of Brazil where evolution has taken an alternative path.

Starring Bob Hoskins, Matthew Rhys and Peter Falk, better known as the shabby TV detective Columbo, The Lost World also features monsters from the hit show Walking With Dinosaurs.

It represents the first time the BBC’s drama department has teamed up with the factual side for such a groundbreaking project.

The Lost World - which is being shown on BBC1 in two parts, today and tomorrow - has already been licensed in France, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Portugal, Holland, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Israel, Singapore and Morocco.

And the BBC is still negotiating further export deals for the programme.

Mark Young, of BBC Worldwide, said: ‘‘The BBC has a great reputation for quality drama. Combining this reputation with the attraction of special effects as exciting as those in Walking With Beasts has captured the imagination and airtime of broadcasters around the world.

‘‘BBC Worldwide expects great things from the Lost World.’’