...and The Office is the top-seller. Fact

Comedy shows have proved a cash cow for the BBC, according to its annual report.

The corporaton's five best-selling videos and DVDs were all comedy titles, helping BBC Worldwide generate a record £123million in sales.

The biggest comedy hit was The Office, which has been bought by 25 countries.

Ricky Gervais's sitcom also sold more than a million copies on DVD and video, making it the UK's best-selling title ever. Scripts from the first series were also one of the BBC's most profitable books.

Other top-selling DVD and video titles were Red Dwarf, I'm Alan Partridge, Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses.

The corporation's coffers have also been boosted with the licensing of shows such as The Weakest Link and Dog Eat Dog, sales of audiobooks including Stephen Fry reading the Harry Potter stories, magazines including Radio Times and books from Delia Smith, David Attenborough and Gary Rhodes.

Today's sales figures show a rise of 16 per cent on last year.

BBC Worldwide's chief executive Rupert Gavin said: "These record results are remarkable in a period of global recession which has hit the TV and advertising markets hard."

Published: 15 Jul 2003