Iconic news footage including the fall of the Berlin Wall and crowds ejecting soldiers from Beijing's Tiananmen Square have been made available to download from the BBC's website.

Nearly 80 news reports have been released on the site as the corporation's News Archive is opened for anyone in the UK to view.

Members of the public will also be able to use the clips to create content of their own as long as it is not for commercial purposes.

Among the clips is a silent black and white film showing the run-up to the 1966 World Cup Final, and a report from Elvis Presley's funeral in 1977.

Other items include footage of the 1990 poll tax riots as well as recent reports on Charles and Camilla's wedding and Hurricane Katrina.

The clips have been released as part of a BBC project to share its archive with licence fee payers.

The corporation is piloting the release of content over an 18-month period after which its governors will assess the service "according to its public value".

In September, 100 programme extracts from the BBC archives were released through Radio 1's website to allow users to create mixes of images to accompany sequences of music.

The use of clips is bound by the terms of the Creative Archive Licence, which was set up last year in conjunction with the British Film Institute, Channel 4 and the Open University.

Helen Boaden, the director of BBC News, said: "This trial is an important step in allowing us to share with our audiences the extraordinary news archive which the BBC has recorded over the years. We look forward to getting their reaction."

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