During some eras of history, significant individuals may serve as important cultural and social links of communication between countries. In the years following World War II and for many decades after, Alistair Cooke filled such a role. He served as British correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the United States and as host of both British and American shows that revealed some of the finer aspects of American life.

As British correspondent for the BBC, Cooke lived in the United States and reported on American affairs, both political and cultural for half a century. In so doing, he became a kind of 20th-century Alexis de Tocqueville, noting those qualities of American life that only a foreigner could describe with such unique insight. In the early 19th century, Tocqueville marveled over a land of wonders where everything was in constant motion, and in his own time Cooke observed American life with a similar precision, but using tools common to that era—radio and television.

Cooke first achieved notice in Great Britain, for his weekly radio series on the BBC, Letter from America. The program continued for many decades, providing British audiences with perspectives unavailable from other sources and perhaps some appreciation for the American ethic. His real influence, however, came with his efforts to bring a refinement to American television. The program was Omnibus, and Cooke served as host and narrator. The program turned out to be the longest-running cultural series on U.S. commercial television. First seen on CBS in 1952, the show was scheduled for late afternoon and early evening on Sundays. In the era before Sunday afternoon/evening football and other sports, Omnibus served as a respite from the commercial chatter of the weekdays. It offered time to reflect at a leisurely pace on the cultural, historical, and artistic heritage of American society, aspects of American life rarely noticed by television.

Omnibus later moved to ABC, which scheduled the program from 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Sunday. Still later, NBC picked up the series and programmed it earlier, on Sunday afternoons. Cooke remained the host as Omnibus thus became one of the few programs to make the rounds to all three commercial U.S. networks. Although the program never achieved high ratings, it proved that a portion of the American television audience could appreciate program elements different from most television fare, elements traditionally thought of as part of high culture. Omnibus ended in 1961, having established an image of thoughtfulness and wisdom for Cooke and earning him enormous respect.

Cooke returned to television as narrator and sometimes writer for the NBC program America. The program, a series of 13 one-hour documentaries, told the fascinating story of the growth of a country from its inception during colonial times into the then-current scene of the 1970s. Cooke regarded the series as a “personal history of America,” and he told it in a way that was both entertaining as well as educational. He made it a point to examine events, individuals, locations, and controversies from both close and distant perspectives. He insisted on being on the scene, walking the paths where history was made. We see his face, we look at his hands handling objects; it was, indeed, a personal history. It carried his trademarks, his reminiscences, his feelings about his memories, and his knowledge.

Cooke also insisted on producing for “the box,” for television’s small screen. In order for television viewers to see the objects, there were many close-ups. In order for them to understand concepts, there were careful, unhurried examinations of ideas. Cooke brought together the words, sights, and sounds in a way that was to be recognized by the industry: he won an Emmy Award in 1973 for Individuals Contributing to Documentary Programs. Later, America would run on public television, one of the few programs originally produced for U.S. commercial television to do so. During the years that America was broadcast, Cooke also appeared on television as host for a number of British productions shown on U.S. public television under the umbrella title Masterpiece Theatre. The program premiered in the United States in 1971. Masterpiece Theatre offered to American viewers adaptations of British and American novels (Jane Austen’s Emma and Henry James’s The Golden Bowl, for example) as well as original productions such as Elizabeth R and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. It is often remembered for its popular continuing serials such as Upstairs, Downstairs, which ran from 1974 until 1977.

Cooke acted as the host who introduced the program, making a few off-the-cuff observations about the style of the production or the ideas about British culture found therein. He referred to his role on Masterpiece Theatre as “headwaiter.” “I’m there to explain for interested customers what’s on the menu, and how the dishes were composed. But I’m not the chef.” Nevertheless, in 1974 he won another Emmy Award for his role on the program as Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement. Cooke remained in this role for 22 years, until 1992, when he retired at 83. He continued to write and produce his weekly BBC Letter from America until shortly before his death in March 2004.