Beating Top Gear nand Dr Who

Keeping Up Appearances has outgunned the likes of Top Gear and Doctor Who to be named the BBC's most popular export.

The exploits of Patricia Routledge's Hyacinth Bucket has been sold 992 times in the 26 years since it launched.

It is said to be especially popular in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, with recent sales to Bulgaria, Latvia and Denmark boosting the Corporation's coffers.

Creator Roy Clarke said he thought the show was so popular because 'everyone knows a Hyacinth'.

It has not been reported how valuable the comedy is to the BBC, but Top Gear generates around £50 million a year in overseas sales. It has been sold 282 times, including to broadcasters in Albania, China, Iceland and Iran.

Following the sitcom in the lost of most popular exports compiled by the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, are four natural history shows  The Life of Mammals, Wild South America: Andes to Amazon, Wild Africa and Blue Planet

Keeping Up Appearances is one of the shows the BBC is set to revive later this year as part of its landmark sitcom season. The new version turns back the clock to the 1950s and features young Hyacinth as a 19-year-old maid to a retired RAF officer.

Paul Dempsey, president of global markets at the BBC, added: 'We are extremely proud of our heritage and back catalogue so it’s fun to look back into the archives and celebrate the enduring appeal of some of our classic shows.

'At the same time, it’s clear that the priority for today’s audiences is event TV with high-production values.'

Published: 16 Feb 2016