'Out of the Blue' moves to BBC Two

The Australian soap commissioned for BBC One after Five poached Neighbours is to be moved to BBC Two less than a month after it began.

Out of the Blue was widely seen as a successor to Neighbours, despite the corporation's protestations otherwise.

Though it opened to a decent 1.2m viewers on April 28, audiences for the new show have dropped off steeply. On Tuesday only 654,000 were watching - falling well short of the channel's 1.9m slot average.

A BBC spokesman confirmed that it would air on BBC Two at the earlier time of 1pm from May 19.

"Out of the Blue is a bold and original commission for BBC daytime with its compelling mix of human drama and its intriguing murder mystery set in a stunning location," he said. "The afternoon slot on BBC One, which the series had been in, is very competitive and by moving the show to BBC Two, we hope it will find a stronger home.

BBC One ordered 130 half-hour episodes of the Sydney-based soap, which would give it a six-month run.