The BBC has announced it is suspending its broadcasting of 3D programming for an indefinite period, citing a "lack of public appetite" for the technology.

3D programming, begun in 2011 with a 2-year trial of several shows and the 2012 Olympic Games, has "not taken off" with audiences who find it "quite hassly," Kim Shillinglaw, the BBC's head of 3D, said.

An estimated 1.5 million households in Britain have a 3D-enabled television set.

"I have never seen a very big appetite for 3D television in the United Kingdom," Shillinglaw, who will return to her main job at the BBC as head of science and natural history programming when the project ends at the close of the year, said in an interview.

"After that we will see what happens when the recession ends and there may be more take up of sets, but I think the BBC will be having a wait-and-see," she said. "It's the right time for a good old pause."

A Doctor Who anniversary special in November will be among the final shows televised as part of the 3D trial, the BBC said.

U.S. sports network ESPN announced last month it was closing its 3D channel due to low viewing figures.