You might expect a shady dating agency to be behind the websites www.desperaterussianhousewives.co.uk and www.singlessos.co.uk - but they are run by the BBC.

The corporation has released a list of 154 of the internet domain names it operates, ranging from foreign language news to spoof tie-ins with TV programmes.

Some of the stranger web addresses registered by the BBC include www.coconutloving.com (promoting offbeat comedy The Mighty Boosh), www.bestmurders.co.uk (for dark comedy Psychoville) and www.watchagrownmanrot.co.uk (for EastEnders).

EastEnders is also linked to www.desperaterussianhousewives.co.uk, and www.singlessos.co.uk is part of an online game for Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood.

Psychoville is responsible for several of the more bizarre internet sites run by the corporation, such as www.bigginspanto.co.uk, www.freddyfruitcake.co.uk and www.jellyparties.co.uk.

The BBC released the details in response to a Freedom of Information request, but declined to reveal a full list of its websites.

It said it was omitting some domain names relating to forthcoming TV programmes and storylines to avoid providing spoilers, and cited commercial reasons for withholding others.

The corporation said: "Disclosure of all domain names would, in effect, disclose our domain name strategy.

"In providing our strategy for names, we would face the increased possibility that individuals or organisations could potentially register domain names for our key brands and/or forthcoming programmes or services and try and profit by attempting to sell them back to the BBC at inflated prices.

"Furthermore, disclosure of the names and, in effect, our domain name strategy could provide an open opportunity to cyber squatters or domain redirection services to understand our strategy for registering names and could result in multiple registrations of key domain names which would then have to be recovered through litigation procedures at the expense of the licence fee payer."

A BBC spokesman added: "As a global broadcaster the BBC owns a wide range of domain names. Some of the more unexpected ones on the list have been created as part of programme storylines. We've not got any plans to launch a desperate Russian housewives site."

In March the corporation announced proposals to cut spending on BBC Online by a quarter by 2013, halve the number of sections on www.bbc.co.uk, and create "far fewer" bespoke programme websites.