'Neighbours' on the Net in new BBC venture

Fans of BBC soaps such as EastEnders and Neighbours could receive regular news updates on their favourite stars via the Internet.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the corporation, announced that it was linking up with computer giant ICL to develop a commercial Internet service which may promote mass acceptance of the global computer network.

The venture, provisionally called BBC Online, is expected to be launched next spring, and will be built around popular radio and television programmes, covering news, sport, and entertainment. The service will be continuously updated and viewers will be able to customise it to their own tastes.

Bob Phillis, BBC deputy director-general, said: "The BBC brand stands for the best creativity and content around the world and we aim to remain the touchstone of quality in the new global multimedia environment. This ... is an important step in the transform- ation of the BBC from a bi- media to a multimedia organisation."