The Wire to air on BBC Two

It will be the first time the HBO series has aired on terrestrial television in the UK having previously aired on digital channel FX with each episode being seen by fewer than 50,000 people.

Created by David Simon and set in Baltimore, 'The Wire's' first season tells the story of a single drugs-and-murder police investigation from the point of view of the police and their targets.

As episodes unfold, a probe by Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives results in a complex sprawl of wiretaps and surveillances, revealing a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy.

The cast is led by British actor Dominic West as officer James "Jimmy" McNulty, and includes Lance Reddick, Idris Elba, Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce, Domenick Lombardozzi, Andre Royo, Sonya John, Michael K Williams and Wood Harris.

Transmission dates of the 60 episodes will be announced soon.

Janice Hadlow, controller of BBC Two, said: "'The Wire' is an exceptional series that will complement the range of distinctive and original UK drama available to viewers on BBC Two."

'The Wire' season one is executive produced by Simon and Robert F Colesberry, and produced by Nina Kostroff Noble.

The writers of 'The Wire' have gone on to make 'Generation Kill' another acclaimed HBO drama, this time about US Marines. The show is also currently airing on FX.

'Generation Kill' is a faithfully retelling of Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright's book about the First Reconnaissance Battalion of the US Marines, operating behind enemy lines in the opening days of the war in Iraq.