Nov 27, 2025 The Mishal Husain Show
Ken Burns has been telling stories about America for almost 50 years. The lauded documentary filmmaker has a new series on PBS, The American Revolution, which charts the period before and after 1776. It will air internationally ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.

Mishal Husain asked Burns to join the show to mark Thanksgiving, looking at today’s America through the lens of its past and the characters who made history.

00:00 Mishal Husain introduction
01:15 The complexity of the American Revolution
03:38 The underdog story
06:50 The global significance of the American Revolution
13:56 Mishal Husain’s connection to Lexington Green
16:12 Why Ken Burns became a filmmaker
18:24 “My mother’s gift in a funny way was dying”
19:25 The Ken Burns Effect
20:30 Hollywood actors as first person narrators
21:15 Directing Josh Brolin as George Washington
22:20 Why Tom Hanks didn’t want to be the voice of George Washington
23:29 Filming reenactments
25:15 The American Revolution Never Ended
30:00 Working for PBS, American Public Broadcasting
33:30 What is Ken Burns grateful for on Thanksgiving?