American fans of US sci-fi series Farscape are fighting to save it from being dropped, as the show starts a 22-episode run in the UK.

The American Sci Fi Channel has decided not to take up its option to buy the fifth series in the US, effectively spelling the end unless another channel can be found.

Viewers are not taking the cancellation lying down, with fan sites organising online petitions, a letter-writing campaign and deluging the channel and its owners with phone calls.

They hope that fellow American networks Showtime and UPN might decide to pick up the show, saving it from oblivion.

The late Jim Henson's company makes the show

Made by the late Muppets creator Jim Henson's production company, the show tells the story of astronaut John Crichton who finds himself transported through a wormhole millions of miles across space.

Crichton finds himself on a "living" ship full of a motley crew of alien fugitives escaping a ruthless intergalactic police force.

The show's producers say they are currently working on a film version of Farscape, a Japanese-style animated cartoon and new projects based on their "overwhelmingly loyal fan base".

And the besieged Sci Fi Channel is dealing with a deluge of phone messages, e-mails, faxes, letters and flowers.

Staff at the station even had to return a cheque for $60 (�38.70) sent by one fan to help pay for the new series.

The story has also generated a great deal of interest in the American media.

The show is now due to start on BBC Two in the UK on Monday.