The BBC Reoprts:

Shows such as Doctor Who and Dancing on Ice helped British TV programmes earn £593m abroad in 2006, up 20% from 2005.

A quarter of the increase came from selling formats like the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, which became Dancing with the Stars in the US.

Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Shaun The Sheep were also among the top-selling shows, said the Producers’ Alliance for Cinema and TV (Pact).