US and UK to see final episode of Lost at the same time The final episode of cult American series Lost will be broadcast simulataneously on both sides of the Atlantic to avoid spoilers appearing on the internet.

But British fans will have to get up at 5am to see the conclusion of the convuluted series, whose title critics claimed described the viewers rather than the plot.

Along with broadcasters in six other countries, Sky1 is to transmit the episode at the same time as the US network ABC airs it on the west coast of America. That transmission time - 9pm Sunday evening in Calfornia - translates to 5am Monday BST.

Though live events such as The Oscars or the Super Bowl are beamed live around the world, this is believed to be the first time that a scripted drama will have been screened at the same time in the US and in other countries.

British viewers will have an advantage over those in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Israel and Turkey, where the episode will be shown at the same time - but without subtitles translating it into local languages.

Fans are promised a resolution to the myriad confusing storylines of the series, which has run for 121 episodes since 2004.

Carlton Cuse, one of the series’ chief writers, said: “It was very weird to take these closely held secrets and actually put them in the scene. It was very liberating and exciting.”