Great Poets in Their Own Words2. Access All Areas 1955-1982

In the 1950s, English poetry becomes more democratic as poets like Philip Larkin turn away from the obscurity of modernism in favour of language and subject matter that reflect the feel of 50s Britain. American poets develop a raw confessional style, while in Britain poets reach out to new audiences - on television, in pubs, on the streets. Featuring the work of Philip Larkin, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, Roger McGough, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Seamus Heaney.

Great Poets in Their Own Words was broadcast on BBC4 at Sunday 17 August 2014, 21:15.