The BBC at War

As World War II began, the BBC was forced to fend off a complete government takeover and eventually emerged as a trusted global news source. But it was a difficult transition. In this intriguing history documentary on BBC Select, Jonathan Dimbleby reveals the BBC's faltering first steps into war including disastrous frontline reports, acute censorship and hours of unappreciated organ music.

The BBC's clumsy efforts at the start of the Second World War were soon replaced by sophisticated counterpoints to Nazi propaganda and a source of coded information for resistance groups. In this illuminating history documentary on BBC Select, Jonathan Dimbleby looks at how the BBC used technical improvisation to report on seismic events such as the liberation of Belsen and the fall of Berlin.