The BBC is rumoured to have paid around £400,000 an episode for the second season of the critically acclaimed American series Heroes - even though it is yet to show the first.

The new deal is thought to represent a five-fold increase in the amount the BBC paid for season one of the glossy high-concept drama, which will air on BBC2 in the summer.

Licensed from US network NBC, Heroes, the highest-rated new series on American television, chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary powers.

The Sci Fi Channel, which had first-run broadcasting rights to season one, was forced out of the bidding as the price for the second season rose.

Season two will now air on both BBC2 and digital channel BBC Three from next year.