Miniseries · BBC Two
The Century of the Self
A secret history of the 20th century.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Adam Curtis
Narrator
4 eps
Anne Bernays
Self
4 eps
Martin Bergmann
Self
4 eps
Robert Reich
Self
4 eps
Edward L. Bernays
Self (archive footage)
4 eps
Sigmund Freud
Self (archive footage)
4 eps
Anna Freud
Self (archive footage)
4 eps
Wilhelm Reich
Self (archive footage)
4 eps
Tony Blair
Self (archive footage)
4 eps
Margaret Thatcher
Self (archive footage)
4 eps
Bill Clinton
Self (archive footage)
4 eps
Ronald Reagan
Self (archive footage)
4 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Century of the Self actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Century of the Self reads strongest on Character Depth, Bingeability and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The story
What it's about
The legacy of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud informs the lives of people throughout the world even to this day, though it's a phenomenon to which most are unaware. The film is an exhaustive examination of his theories on human desire, and how they're applied to platforms such as advertising, consumerism and politics.
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Created by
- Adam CurtisCreator
Executive production
- Stephen LambertExecutive Producer
- Adam CurtisProducer
Writing
- Adam CurtisWriter
Direction
- Adam CurtisDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
Checking regional listings…
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