The role of the BBC has been under the spotlight during the Coronavirus pandemic; for many it has been a vital source of news and information.  Some critics have accused the Corporation of both scaremongering and playing down the crisis.

We are approaching the 75th Anniversary of VE Day - the end of the Second World War in Europe.  The BBC's role as a public service broadcaster had already been tested during the General Strike of 1926; should it be a government mouthpiece, as Winston Churchill thought at the time, or should remain a neutral voice - as the then Director-General, Lord Reith thought?

In 1939 the BBC faced a new challenge.  Should it be a flag-waving cheerleader or a voice of impartiality?  Here's how Auntie Beeb came of age in the Second World War.