It Seemed like Doomsday at the Time

After recent power cuts, Alistair Cooke reflects on the importance of electricity.

• 15 mins

The Drastic Social Change in a Once Genteel Game

Alistair Cooke muses on Wimbledon's ability to reconcile historic tradition and modernity.

• 15 mins

A Million Iraqis Will Get the Message

Alistair Cooke contrasts the "crisis" in the tennis world with the troubles in Iraq.

• 15 mins

In Memory of Henry Longhurst

Alistair Cooke celebrates the life of golf commentator Henry Longhurst.

• 15 mins

A Category Five Hurricane

Whilst waiting for hurricane Isabel, Alistair Cooke tells a few tales.

• 15 mins

Why it Costs so Much to Rebuild Iraq

Alistair Cooke asks why it is costing so much to rebuild Iraq.

• 15 mins

I am a Jelly Doughnut

Alistair Cooke pays tribute to Robert Lochner and Alexander Butterfield.

• 15 mins

The California Election

Alistair Cooke contemplates Arnold Schwarzenegger's role as governor.

• 15 mins

Separated by Language

Alistair Cooke muses on curious linguistic differences between America and England.

• 15 mins

The Pledge of Allegiance

Alistair Cooke examines the Pledge of Allegiance and its role in a secular society.

• 15 mins

Towering Glass and Steel

Forty years on, Alistair Cooke examines the effect of destroying the Pennsylvania Station.

• 15 mins

Social Lion and Remarkable Architect

Alistair Cooke celebrates the architectural achievements of Stanford White.

• 15 mins

The Appetite for War

Alistair Cooke examines how casualty numbers influences the public's appetite for war.

• 15 mins

Chinese Textile Tariffs

Alistair Cooke compares Chinese import tax with the great depression Smoot-Hawley Tariff.

• 15 mins

Healthy Eating

In light of new concerns about healthy eating, Alistair Cooke reflects on Thanksgiving.

• 15 mins

Why the War Couldn't Wait

Alistair Cooke examines why it is so difficult to establish democracy in Iraq.

• 15 mins

Looking for an Anniversary

An anniversary gets Alistair Cooke out from a sticky broadcasting situation.

• 15 mins

Birth of a Christmas Fairy Tale

Charles Dickens’ Scrooge reminds Alistair Cooke of the uniting force of Christmas.

• 15 mins

Pork Barrel Politics

Alistair Cooke examines how congressmen secure re-appointments during an election year.

• 15 mins

The Problem with Sport

Alistair Cooke wonders what makes people favour athletic prowess over academic skill.

• 15 mins

Not Worth Talking About

Alistair Cooke refuses to exhaust himself describing all the presidential candidates.

• 15 mins

Temperatures Drop

Alistair Cooke remembers a Palm Beach winter, as Arctic weather hits the northern states.

• 15 mins

The Day of the GP is Over

Alistair Cooke remembers when doctors used to make house calls.

• 15 mins

Was Saddam a Threat or Not?

Alistair Cooke discusses the resignation of the US chief weapons inspector, Dr David Kay.

• 15 mins

Encounters with Intelligence

Alistair Cooke remembers the time he was mistaken for a spy during World War II.

• 15 mins

How WWI turned slimming into a fashion

How slimming became fashionable during the food shortages of the First World War.

• 15 mins

Alistair Cooke's Last Letter

In his last letter, Alistair Cooke examines Iraq’s influence on the Presidential Election.

• 15 mins

Groucho Marx and Bing Crosby

Profiles of entertainers Groucho Marx (1898-1977) and Bing Crosby (1903-1977).

• 15 mins

How ice cream changed America

A profile of Reuben Mattus (1912-1994), the co-founder of Haagen-Dazs.

• 15 mins

Kennedy's rocking chair

The secret ailments of President John F Kennedy.

• 15 mins

Atlanta and Augusta

A history of the Augusta National Golf Club from its formation in 1777.

• 15 mins

Rudolph Valentino

The life of Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926).

• 15 mins

The atom bomb warning of 1939

How two refugees warned Roosevelt of the German nuclear threat.

• 15 mins

The 1970s

1970s USA rediscovered through lost recordings of Alistair Cooke's Letter From America.

• 120 mins