Australian TV audiences have been polled by BBC Studios as part of global research to find out their favourite heart-warming moments from BBC programs.
The results are being released ahead of the annual BBC Showcase event in Liverpool where hundreds of TV buyers are entertained and encouraged to purchase from the BBC’s deep catalogue.
Topping the chart of favourite moments was also what Australians opted for as their #1 choice – BBC coverage of Royal Weddings.
The top 10 moments globally were:
1. The Royal Weddings (UK broadcasters)
2. Sherlock (Hartswood for BBC One) – Best man speech
3. Ariana Grande (BBC Studios for BBC One) One Love Manchester
4. Planet Earth II (BBC Studios/BBC America/ZDF/Tencent/FTV for BBC One) – Iguana snake escape
5. Doctor Who (BBC Studios for BBC One)– Van Gogh exhibition
6. Pride & Prejudice (BBC Studios for BBC One) – Mr Darcy declaring his love to Elizabeth
7. Life on Earth (BBC Studios for BBC One) Sir David Attenborough meets the silverback gorillas
8. Blue Planet II (BBC Studios/BBC America/The Open University/Tencent/WDR/FTV/CCTV9 for BBC One) – Tusk fish opens clam
9. Dynasties (BBC Studios/BBC America/ FTV/Tencent Penguin Pictures/CCTV-9 for BBC One) – David the chimpanzee’s return
10. Top Gear (BBC Studios for BBC One) – Launching a Reliant Robin on a space shuttle
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Coverage of the Royal Weddings made the top spot in Australia, France, Germany, India and the USA and appears six times in the top three, including in China.
The BBC commented the results reflect the growing appetite global audiences have for factual programs, with Sir David Attenborough presenting or narrating four of the top 10 titles, from the emotionally charged return of David the chimpanzee in recent landmark natural history series Dynasties to the heart-in-the-mouth sequence as an iguana flees killer snakes in Planet Earth II.
Paul Dempsey, president of global markets, BBC Studios, said: “Whether it’s an intimate feel-good moment in a drama or an extraordinary story from the natural world, our shows make hearts skip a beat.
“Next week customers from around the world can find out about our new content and to talk to our producers and commissioners about making tomorrow’s global hits.”
Key titles on offer at BBC Showcase this year include Andrew Davies’ adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel Sanditon; an adaptation of Terry Pratchet’s Good Omens; new crime drama The Mallorca Files; the BBC drama Pure; Louis Theroux’s Altered States; the natural history series One Planet: Seven Worlds; and Dead Pixels, a new comedy from Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong.