The BBC and the Cold War

The Cold War was the defining global conflict of the second half of the twentieth century. Fought across multiple terrains, the "soft power" of international broadcasting placed the BBC on the frontline of the information war.

Explore the role the BBC played in communicating our understanding and experience of the Cold War, with the help of unique oral history interviews with those involved – from World Service foreign language journalists and correspondents in the field to directors-general and strategic managers.

Curated by Emeritus Professor David Hendy and Dr Alban Webb, University of Sussex; and John Escolme, BBC History.

The Long War
Between 1939 and 1991, the experience of World War and Cold War helped shape the journalistic and diplomatic significance of the BBC World Service.
Iron Curtain
How did the BBC’s response to the descending Iron Curtain shape its Cold War broadcasting style?
BBC Monitoring in Wartime
Established at the outbreak of the Second World War, the BBC Monitoring Service continued to be a vital component of the BBC’s journalistic work during the Cold War.
Letters without Signatures
During the Cold War the BBC German Service was a vital means of 'projecting Britain', and broadcast a nightly programme specially targeted at listeners behind the Iron Curtain.
Uprisings
Within the space of one month in the autumn of 1956 flashpoints threatened to destabilise both Eastern and Western bloc alliances and threatened the future of the BBC.
The War Game
The threat of thermonuclear destruction placed Britain’s civil defence plans, and the BBC, at the heart of public debates about the Cold War.
Cries for Peace in the Nuclear Age
The Cold War sparked multiple peace protests in the UK: from Bertrand Russell and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, to the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp.
Solidarity
In the 1980s the Polish Solidarity movement gained global media attention. And it did so with a little help from its friends in the BBC World Service.
Collapse
The fall of Soviet communism and the end of the Cold War was a seismic shift in global history. It also posed challenging questions about the future of BBC services to Europe, once the Iron Curtain was gone.
Music of a Revolution
Our video covers some of the key TV moments of the Cold War between 1947 and 1989, with music that inspired a generation.
Share your memories
What role did the BBC play in your life during the Cold War, and how did its broadcasts shape your perception of events at the time? Share your thoughts and ideas here.
Background to the project
Bridget Kendall MBE, former BBC Moscow Correspondent sets the scene for this collection, reflecting on her own career during a period of extraordinary change in the region.

Editorial Note

The BBC and the Cold War collection contains excerpts and programmes from BBC services at specific moments in time. The material should be viewed in this context and with the understanding that it reflects the attitudes and standards of its time – not those of today.

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The BBC and the Cold War

The Long War

Iron Curtain

BBC Monitoring in Wartime

Letters without Signatures

Uprisings

The War Game

Cries for Peace in the Nuclear Age

Solidarity

Collapse

Music of a Revolution

Share your memories

Background to the project

Editorial Note

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Rebuild Page

Useful links

Theme toggler