The 18-hour documentary series The Vietnam War from acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick will premiere in full for the first time in the UK on PBS America in April.

Calling upon the recollections of combatants and civilians from both sides, and incorporating rare archive footage, photographic reportage, historic TV broadcasts and secret US Government audio recordings, The Vietnam War is essential viewing for anyone seeking to understand why the United States entered the fray after France failed to stem the Communist tide in Indochina, and why a superpower soon found itself stumbling.

The soundtrack features new, original music from Academy Award-winning musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails) alongside over 120 era-defining songs from the period, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and more.

“Ken and I are thrilled that British audiences will be able to watch our full directors’ cut from this April,” said Lynn Novick.

“Nowhere outside of the US has this complete 18 hours been made available to television audiences before. The rest of the world has only had access to the 10 hour cutdown – a little over half the story – until now.”

The Vietnam War premieres on PBS America on Wednesday 11 April at 9pm, with a new instalment set to show every week until mid June.

PBS America is available on Freeview 94, Freesat 155, Virgin Media 276 and Sky 534.