Or is adult programming to remain the driver of pay services? From Indian censors who want hardcore on terrestrial TV to 3G operators who want it to drive pay services, it~s a sticky issue. John Plunkett reports.

British drama has finally lost its reputation for {gritty storylines and ugly actors,{ according to one of the industry~s most powerful commissioning editors.

The international market for TV drama and telefilms has never been tougher, according to two of Canada~s leading international distributors.

MTV~s transformation into a traditional entertainment channel with series like The Osbournes has proved difficult but necessary shift away from music, according to one of its top executives.

The BBC~s head of interactive TV has defended the corporation~s red button services, warning that the new technology will fail to entice viewers without sufficient on-screen promotion.

Each distinct territory used to have its own idiosyncratic entertainment - then came the endless supply of smart, ratings-grabbing international entertainment juggernauts. John Plunkett finds out what~s winning where.

A Mexican network has picked up the format to the BBC~s long-running music show Top of the Pops - the first time the format has ever been sold into Latin America.

Richard Roxburgh and Ian Hart will star as Holmes and Watson in a {youthful{ BBC1 adaptation of the sleuth classic The Hound of the Baskervilles, to be made by UK indie Tiger Aspect.

UK distributor Avalon International has sold the format to Baddiel & Skinner Unplanned to TV3 in Catalonia, Spain - its fifth sale of the comedy format so far.

UK animation indie The Little Entertainment Company is following up its global animated hit Merlin the Magical Puppy with a second stop-frame series, The Little Red Tractor.