UK to get third 'Heroes' this autumn

The BBC is to air the third season of Heroes this autumn.

Jana Bennett, director of BBC Vision, has said the traditional several-month delay in the show making it to UK screens will be slashed for the next run.

"People want to participate globally - and, in part, that's why this autumn, when NBC launches Heroes series three in the States, it will be aired simultaneously by the BBC in the UK," said Bennett, speaking about changes in TV and media at the Banff Television Festival.

Broadcasters are increasingly looking to narrow delays in international distribution. Bennett said: "Imagine now the world communities and conversations that would congregate around programmes like Planet Earth, Wild China or Amazon - if they were available to that global audience at the same time."

Heroes season three will begin on NBC with a two-hour launch show on September 22. The second season - which aired in the US in the autumn last year - still has several weeks to run on BBC Two.

> Click here for our review of the latest Heroes episode