Not since Skippy The Bush Kangaroo hopped his way to global domination half a century ago has Australian television enjoyed such popularity around the world.

Indeed, the next time you're in Amsterdam and you happen to be catching up on the Netherlands' hottest television drama, you'll probably have a sense of deja vu, especially if you've seen the hit Foxtel series, Wentworth.

Going global: The cast of Wentworth.

The drama, Celblok H, is a Dutch version of Wentworth and for the past 18 months it has been one of the biggest rating shows in the Netherlands. But instead of finding characters Bea Smith, Franky Doyle, Vera Bennett or Liz Birdsworth on the steam press, you're likely to find Suzanne 'Suus' Kramer, Frederica 'Freddy' Hendriks, Elizabeth 'Lies' van Gemert and Dorien 'Door' Breeveld going for it hammer and tongs in the laundry. A German version of Wentworth has also been made titled Block B: Unter Arrest.

The production company responsible for Wentworth is Freemantle Media Australia, which has sold the Australian version of the show to 87 territories around the world, including the US, where it has received critical acclaim. According to America's TVGuide.com: "Wentworth is just as good, if not better, than any of the big-name American cable dramas that have broken new ground in recent years."