Dinosaurs make it big in America

Larger-than-life dinosaur action attracts big audiences

The monstrous cast of the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs has captured the imagination of US audiences, knocking the country's heavyweight wrestling action from its top TV slot.

The BBC's epic computer animation, which spans 155 million years in the history of dinosaurs, managed to shatter all-time cable ratings records.

The programme pulled in an average 10.7 million viewers during its premiere screening on Discovery Channel in the US, said a BBC spokesman.

The computer animation was the most watched non-sporting event on cable during the 1999-2000 television season to date, beating the USA Networks' World Wrestling Federation action.

Cult status

The series, depicting dinosaurs in their natural environment, was immensely popular when it was first screened in Britain.

Costing £6 million to make, it traces the history of dinosaurs from their origins in the Triassic period around 230m years ago through to their extinction 65m years ago.

It has since become a hit with audiences in Latin America, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany.

Scores more countries worldwide will soon get to see the mammoth dinosaur action.

And the series' growing audiences also means a healthy revenue for programme creators.

BBC Worldwide's chief executive Rupert Gavin said: "Walking with Dinosaurs is fast becoming one of BBC Worldwide's top earners through programme licensing and associated merchandise.

"It has already broken audience records in every territory in which it has aired and I am delighted Discovery has had such a great hit with this phenomenal property."

Walking with Dinosaurs was one of the BBC's most ambitious ventures ever undertaken.

The six-part series, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, used state of the art computer animation to show the behaviour of dinosaurs, on a scale which had not been attempted before.