The BBC closed down its multimedia division in 2005 after a failed attempt to bring its TV espionage series Spooks to the PlayStation 2.

MCV now reveals that the BBC is looking to get its IPs back into the games market, and is currently looking to partner with developers on platforms such as iPhone, DS, PSP and Wii.

"Outside of Disney we have the most well-known line-up of children’s characters around the world," said MD of children’s TV and licensing, Neil Ross Russell.

"We are open to conversations with anybody in games about all kinds of business models to see how we can extract more value."

Properties such as Doctor Who, Top Gear and The Night Garden are on the slate for gaming adaptations, produced through the BBC's Worldwide commercial arm. Its approach is apparently quite cautious, however, as the corporation has a long reaching intention to build these properties into sustainable gaming brands on multiple platforms.

"What we’re trying to do is build the brands here – this is not about opportunistic licensing," Ross Russell concluded. "If we wanted to do that we would have done more with these key brands over the last few years."