BBCi has been chosen as the best television website in a Top 100 TV Sites poll conducted by internet magazine Web User.

The BBC's internet news and sports services are already veteran award-winners and now BBCi, the newly-designed site which hosts all the BBC's websites, has also been praised.

According to Web User's deputy editor Bobby Pickering, BBCi was the obvious choice.

"We all agreed that the BBC was really good. Our readers appreciate it because there is no banner advertising," he said. "It is well put together and it is adding something extra to people's favourite programmes."

"We were looking for depth of information, levels of interactivity and design," he explained.

Fan sites recognised

Channel 4's website came second and a site dedicated to the Simpsons (www.snpp.com) came third.

"We didn't want to look at just the large corporate sites but those designed by enthusiasts as well," said Mr Pickering.

Some of the winners were obscure sites such as monkeyheaven.com, a tribute to a cult Japanese show called Monkey.

TV nostalgia also featured in the top 100, with sites like sausagenet.co.uk that features cult British children's shows such as Basil Brush and Camberwick Green.

Among the top 25 BBC sites were one devoted to the soap EastEnders, where surfers can take a virtual tour of Albert Square and chat online to its stars, and www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2, a site about the classic series The HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy.