BBC opens news archive

The BBC has released online news footage of some of the most iconic events of the past 50 years.

The footage includes the fall of the Berlin Wall, crowds ejecting soldiers from Beijing's Tiananmen Square and behind-the-scenes footage of the England team prior to their World Cup victory in 1966.

The footage is being offered as part of The Open News Archive, a new BBC service still in pilot stage, that lets people use BBC output to create content of their own.

People within the UK can watch, download and edit the clips and programming for non-commercial purposes.

Helen Boaden, director, BBC News, says: "This trial is an important step in allowing us to share with our audiences the extraordinary news archive which the BBC has recorded over the years. We look forward to getting their reaction."

To ensure that the material is available to as wide an audience, it will be made available in QuickTime, Windows Media, MPEG1 and MP3 formats.

The BBC will be releasing further content over the coming months.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/opennewsarchive