BBC to air all of 'One Piece' anime series

Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The BBC has announced plans to air all 1,000 episodes of the iconic One Piece anime series.

"It's a really exciting move to bring the One Piece franchise to United Kingdom audiences in the coming months," Fiona Campbell, controller of youth audiences programming for iPlayer and BBC Three, said in a statement.

"With its captivating storytelling, rich characters and global fan base, One Piece has become a cultural phenomenon and we're so excited to see how the fan base will enjoy this huge canon of episodes available in English only on iPlayer."

The screen adaptation of Eiichiro Oda's pirate-themed manga series premiered in Japan in October 1999.

The cartoon, along with a live-action version, streams on Netflix in the United States.