ITV said during its results report that it wasn”t overly interested in US acquisitions. But such is the quality of content coming out of the US market right now that the other UK broadcasters are queuing up for top shows. Sky and Channel 4 have been setting the pace in recent weeks – but now BBC2 has revealed that it has acquired the rights to Pan Am, a new series which goes back to 1963 and the “glamorous new era of luxury air travel”.

The series follows the lives of a group of Pan Am pilots and air-hostesses as they “cross the globe in a jet-powered, seductive age, shaped by romance, shifting social values and international espionage”.

Created by Jack Orman (ER) and directed by Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing), the series sees Christina Ricci head a star-studded cast.

Janice Hadlow, Controller BBC Two, says: “Pan Am captures the excitement and optimism of travel in the 1960s, when being an air hostess was the most glamorous occupation you could possibly have. With a love story at its heart and a great unfolding plot that hints at the danger and mystery to come, viewers are in for an exciting but turbulent ride.”

Pan Am will be produced by Jack Orman Productions, Out of the Blue Entertainment and Show Money Productions, in association with Sony Pictures Television (SPT), which is distributing the series globally. Stuart Baxter, senior executive VP European Distribution, SPT, says: “Pan Am is taking off around the globe and we’;re thrilled the BBC will become its UK home. The BBC crowns a growing list of broadcasters who are the international destinations for this iconic series.”