Yes Minister is set to be the next sitcom to be remade for the American market.

Despite the much-publicised failure of Coupling USA, the BBC is developing the hit Eighties political series for US networks.

It has already been remade for the Portuguese and Indian markets, and BBC Worldwide's Colin Jarvis says America is a natural next step.

"We see it as a comedy version of The West Wing," he told TV industry website C21. "As a concept, it presses a lot of buttons for US networks."

Jarvis has also signed a script deal with CBS to translate the comedy-drama, Being April, which originally starred Pauline Quirke.

An American version of Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies is already in development for the network, with a pilot planned for 2004.

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