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Sci Fi already enjoys relationships with its geekish cousins in other media, such as the magazine SFX and websites including aintitcool.com. But Betts wants to make more original programming such as the recent Firefly weekend, which was filmed in Los Angeles with Joss Whedon, the writer of the hit series, its movie spin-off Serenity, and before that Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Making sci-fi is "incredibly expensive with the costumes and the sets", complains Betts, and he hopes that the UK channel can work on joint productions with the US channel and other partners to share costs. Sci Fi UK has had to look on as hit programmes made by NBC Universal such as Battlestar Galactica and Stargate have been sold in the UK to the highest bidder, in those cases BSkyB.

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