MUMBAI: Photo agencies in the UK have been requesting copies of the BBC series Paparazzi - to give their own snappers some tips.

Paparazzi ends its three-week run on BBC One today 19 January. The show follows the fortunes of Big Pictures, one of the top celebrity pictures in the world, and its army of paparazzos, who pop up everywhere from red carpet premieres to beaches in Barbados.

The programme studies their tactics as they bid to get the first shot of a celebrity caught unawares sent round the world. From talking their way onto hotel balconies to snap celebrity holidaymakers in bikinis or less, to stakeouts near celebrity homes in the hope of getting an unguarded moment on film, Paparazzi shows how the professionals get their shots..

The BBC claims that the show is proving to be an educational experience for other photographers. The BBC's David Cartwright says the requests for tapes of the show were unprecedented. "In the past we have been sending copies to television previewers. But this is the first time we have been contacted by picture desks asking for tapes. A couple of agencies have expressly said that they want to show it to their own photographers to teach them a thing or two."

The show is produced by BBC Wales. Today's episode includes a photo-shoot with Rebecca Loos who became famous after her affair with David Beckham.