Hollyoaks is shown on Channel 4 in the UK

The channel, which is available in 54 million US homes, is planning a "complete transformation".

It will now feature more news and weekly themed nights - including crime drama on "Murder Mondays".

BBC America was the US launch pad for The Office and Life on Mars - both of which have been adapted by US networks.

It has won several awards including four Golden Globes - for The Office and drama Gideon's Daughter, starring Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt.

Benny Hill's show will disappear gradually from the schedule

Channel 4's teen soap Hollyoaks will now get a nightly slot on the station, with a weekend omnibus for those who have missed out.

Other programmes coming to the channel include Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, Hotel Babylon and BBC America co-production Wire in the Blood, a psychological thriller starring Robson Green.

The channel already broadcasts popular British shows like Gordon Ramsay's F Word, Silent Witness and Spooks, which is known as MI-5 in the US.

A spokeswoman said classic programmes like Benny Hill, The Avengers and Keeping Up Appearances would be taken off the air "gradually".