The Beebies are coming!

Two new BBC channels promise to open up new entertainment avenues in English-language programming.

As recently as last month, desi television junkies had scanty viewing options. They could either sigh along with the time-honoured American stoicism towards adultery, courtesy Desperate Housewives, or simper along with the umpteenth re-runs of Friends while giving a come-hither look at the dozen-odd plunging necklines and evergreen men on The Young and the Restless.

But if you care for some British sitcoms, with rejuvenating English content and dollops of drama, then tune in to BBC Entertainment.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has announced the launch of BBC Entertainment and CBeebies "" two brand new channels from BBC Global Channels that promise the much-needed content juggle on the small screen. Both are 12-hour channels and are available on Tata-Sky's direct-to-home platform, with BBC Entertainment on air between 6 pm-6 am while the dual-language CBeebies channel airs from 6 am to 6 pm.

Just as viewers were about to write off the tardy English language programming content available, programmes like Hotel Babylon, Cutting It, My Family, The Catherine Tate Show, Suburban Shootout among others saunter along on BBC Entertainment. And what exactly is so different about these shows?

The scripts, the actors (who tread dangerously between being ugly and haggardly, yet entertaining) and of course the wry sense of British dialogue delivery.

Watching Suburban Shootout, you will be reminded of just how many flicks have picked up the mundane situations of life and turned them into 2-hour horrors. The female characters, set in Little Stempington, kill and screech and then kill again with the comic intensity known only to Brits.

Anything ranging from pistols to potato peelers can be the weapons of murder. Beneath the quaint facade of health spas and charity fundraisers, mid-morning yoga classes and twice-daily school runs, lies a secret super- sexed, super-violent world where Viagra is added to husbands' suppers with fresh parmesan.

Little Stempington inhabitants plot and fight within this picturesque looking English village, while being lead by Camilla Diamond (played by Anna Chancellor), a proud president of the local charity committee. Her arch rival is Barbara Du Prez (Felicity Montague), deputy president of the charity committee, and the former best friend of Camilla. Barbara too presides over a highly trained posse of local women, setting the pace for a battleground of egos and aspirations.

Into this rural battlefield walk innocent Joyce Hazeldine (Amelia Bullmore) and her policeman husband Jeremy (Ralph Ineson). Itching for a stress-free life far from the crime-ridden city, the opportunity to move into a peaceful, suburban environment couldn't have come at a better time. Or so they think.

If you want a change of track from this feel-good fiction production, then you can tune in to My Life in Film. Art (Kris Marshall of Love Actually, My Family fame) is an independent film-maker with big ideas and even bigger imagination who turns each day into a cinematic classic "" with homages to Top Gun and The Shining and others.

A delectable comedy interwoven with brilliant film references, with plots and dialogues from classic hit movies scripted into each episode, there is never a dull moment.

Based on a talented independent low-budget filmmaker who is awaiting his turn of glory, his flat mate Jones (played by Andrew Scott of Saving Private Ryan fame) compliments Art, with his quiet and sensitive demeanour. Beth (played by Alice Lowe of Garth Marenghi fame) is Jones' smart and pragmatic girlfriend and there brews the love-hate triangle between Art and Beth with Jones bearing the brunt.

My Life In Film comes with a generous dose of humour with tumultuous relationships intertwining Hollywood-style. Another welcome change is Hotel Babylon, which gives you a peek into who's checking in and who's checking out of the world's most glamorous hotel. Hotel Babylon opens the door to a sexy world of luxury hotels where money talks and has the potential to buy just about anything one can think of.

This show introduces a world of hedonism and excess, where for one night it's possible to be whoever you want to be. The young cast takes viewers on a journey beyond the glamour and facade of smiling, welcoming faces and shimmering chandeliers.

For a family with pre-school kids, CBeebies, targeted at children aged six years and under takes a refreshing content approach. Broadcasting in both Hindi and English, the channel's programme schedule consists of the entertaining, trusted and interactive series seen on the UK's CBeebies channel. The Roly Mo Show, Bill and Ben, Tweenies, Tikkabilla, Big Cook Little Cook and Boogie Beebies that have been immensely popular with pre-school children in the UK, are now very much in India.

Call it oxygenating, watching Teletubbies, another popular show, is fun even if you are an adult. Four colourful characters "" Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po "" live in a futuristic dome (called the Tubbytronic Superdome) dotted with unusually talkative flowers and periscope-like voice trumpets.

The only natural fauna are rabbits. While the climate is always sunny and pleasant save for occasional inclement days, with rain and puddles, and snow at Christmas time, Teletubbies seem to eat only Tubby Custard (sucked through a spiral straw bowl) and Tubby Toast (circular toast with a smiley face on it). Machines like the Noo-Noo, a sentient, self-propelled vacuum cleaner, or the televisions bang on the Teletubbies' stomachs are designed to show children that technology is benevolent and helpful, not something to be afraid of. Wow.

Provided BBC continues its reinvigoration towards quality content and production, it is sure to continue to play a pivotal role on Indian television.