To tie in with BBC Four’s All American season, launching on 14 November, which will explore the cultural heritage of 20th century America, the BBC has made available online 15 full-length programmes on this theme from its archive.  The titles, broadcast between 1965 and 2001, explore US art, technology, politics and society. They include examples from classic series such as Whicker’s World and Alistair Cooke’s America, interviews from Face to Face with Maya Angelou and Dr Martin Luther King, an Omnibus programme on Studs Terkel, and Alexis Korner’s series investigating American Blues, The Devil’s Music. In a written introduction to the archival collection, documentary film maker Adam Curtis argues that these programmes show an American dream of complete personal freedom shadowed by a dark and frightening tale of power and exploitation.

Details of the current BBC Four All American season were announced in a BBC Press Release in June.