Camera Cafe, a comedy program that airs before the nightly news on French channel M6 will make a leap to the big screen in 2004.

Created by and starring Bruno Solo and Yvan Bolloc'h, the show - which has been sold widely around the world - is a comedic look at office life and centres around the coffee machine which also acts as the sole camera providing a bird's eye view into the workaday lives of the principal characters and guests who frequent the set.

Currently readying its 500th episode, set to air July 9, the show has been running since 2001. With audience numbers reaching over 4 million per day and a 23% market share since the beginning of the year, the show has also spurred a recent DVD release that has sold 180,000 copies and a book Guide to Happiness at Work.

Before starting principal photography in January 2004, with Solo and Bolloc'h doing scripting duties as well as starring, the series will also release a comic book based on the show in the fall. The film version, also to be directed by the creators, will co-star several French celebrities who have yet to be named. The budget for the film is Euros10m.

The show has already travelled widely internationally: its concept has been sold in Canada, Greece, Ireland and Flanders. The show also airs in a translated version in Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia and Australia. It has also been optioned in Brazil, Wales, the Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Spain, Poland and Turkey. Interest has also come from some high profile American producers considering adapting the concept for the US.

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