Panorama reporter Jane Corbin in Basra

The flagship programme will make a series of mid-week specials as part of the �3 million investment package.

Real Story becomes a single topic show and will extend to 32 editions, while peak time current affairs coverage on BBC One overall is being upped by 28%.

Helen Boaden, BBC News director, said the "exciting" plans would increase the appeal of peak time news programming.

Increased commitment

"From our audience research, we know that people consider current affairs programming to be very important to them as citizens," she said.

Shows with a news angle outside current affairs will continue to be commissioned, such as consumer programme Watchdog and The Secret Policemen documentary.

Real Story, presented by newsreader Fiona Bruce, has previously dealt with a number of controversial topics, and will return in the spring with more programmes.

BBC One's flagship current affairs programme launched in 1953

Other established components of the current affairs output such as Question Time and This Week will also remain regular fixtures.

The plans also include an increased commitment to encouraging independent producers to make news and current affairs programmes for the BBC.

Panorama, which has been running for more than 50 years, will remain in its Sunday night slot of the past four years, despite speculation it would return to its traditional mid-week place in the schedules.

The programme has a regular audience of three million on Sunday, which links off the main evening news bulletin.

'Priority genre'

Jana Bennett, director of BBC television, said: "Our decision, after long consideration, to leave it in its regular Sunday night slot is designed to secure its award-winning, hard-hitting journalism and to support the programme makers in pursuing the agenda they believe in.

Fiona Bruce is the regular presenter of Real Story

"The increase in mid-week peak time specials will also give an opportunity to create additional impact and to promote the sense of an agenda-setting event in the midweek schedule," she added.

The BBC's board of governors have welcomed the developments, calling news and current affairs one of their "priority genres".

They added that they "monitor the performance of the new current affairs strategy for BBC One".

In 1995, Panorama broadcast Martin Bashir's interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, which was watched by 22.8 million people.

More recently Panorama broadcast a series of reports from Iraq by John Simpson, BBC News world affairs editor.

The programme's investigations have gone on to make an impact on several occasions in the past.