The BBC's recent Family of My Own series to help find foster and adoptive families for children in care drew more than 30,000 inquiries.

The series, presented by GMTV presenter Lorraine Kelly, featured 20 half-hour programmes during daytime TV in April.

It focused on various children for whom it has traditionally been hard to find adoptive families, such as older children, those with special needs, groups of brothers and sisters and mixed race children.

As well featuring specific children, it aimed to explode myths about who could and could not adopt or foster.

It also followed up the stories on several children who had featured in the BBC's first Family of My Own series broadcast last year, which drew 23,000 inquiries, and showed how they had settled happily in their new families.

A spokesman for the BBC said they were delighted with the response the series had generated and said it if resulted in just one child being adopted, it would have been deemed a success.

People who called the special helpline number received an information pack detailing the children featured in the series and profiles of many more who did not appear, as well as contact numbers for adoption and fostering agencies.

This year's programme also managed to turn round some of the original critics of the first series including the MP Gerald Howarth who admitted in a radio interview that his initial condemnation regarding using children in care for a TV programme was wrong, said the spokesman.

Last year's series concentrated on the need for adoptive families but this year, the series included an appeal for more long-term foster carers. It also featured more single people who had adopted or fostered.

"We are very very happy with the result but it's too early to say if another series will be commissioned," said the spokesman.