BBC plans to rival Disneyland

Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Photo / Chris Barton

The BBC is to turn shows such as Doctor Who, Top Gear and Sherlock into theme park attractions in Britain's answer to Disneyland.

BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, has signed a deal with the company behind a 2 billion ($4.3 billion) Paramount Pictures resort planned for Swanscombe in Kent.

The London Paramount Entertainment Resort will offer rides based on the Hollywood studio's blockbuster franchises - which include Star Trek and Transformers - and popular BBC shows.

Where Paramount counts Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible among its prize properties, the BBC can offer Jeremy Clarkson and Fawlty Towers.

But the Hollywood studio and the BBC make perfect bedfellows, according to the company behind the park.

David Testa, director of London Resort Company Holdings, said: "The BBC has played an instrumental role in shaping the British entertainment industry for nearly a century, creating some of the most iconic and cherished characters on TV and radio. It seems only right therefore that its programmes will be present at the new London Paramount Entertainment Resort, which will combine the glamour of Hollywood with the best of British culture."

The resort is scheduled to open in 2020 and hopes to attract 15 million visitors a year. The southeast of England location was chosen to position the park as a rival to Disneyland Paris.

The BBC said it could not confirm which programmes will be developed into rides as negotiations are at an early stage, but it is almost certain Doctor Who - with its potential for Tardis simulators and Dalek battles - will be the star attraction.

Merlin, a fantasy series based on the legend of King Arthur, is also a likely contender, as is the hit children's show In The Night Garden. BBC Worldwide will make millions from licensing deals, some of which will be ploughed back into programme-making.

Twitter users reacted to the news by coming up with suggestions for rides.

"I wonder if there'll be a Last of the Summer Wine ride, where you go downhill in a tin bath," one mused, while another said: "Please let there be an EastEnders-themed ride where we can all shout at each other."