The cultural giants of Bob Dylan and Martin Scorsese have been brought together for a unique two-part Arena film, No Direction Home – Bob Dylan, to be screened on BBC TWO and accompanied by a season exploring Dylan's work on BBC FOUR.

The British Film Institute in association with the BBC will be staging a parallel season at the National Film Theatre.

For the first time ever, the BBC in the UK and the American public broadcasting network, PBS, will transmit the same programme on the same day, on Arena and its PBS counterpart – Thirteen/WNET's award-winning American Masters series.

This historic collaboration between the world's two foremost public broadcasters has been forged by Spitfire Pictures, based in Los Angeles and London.

The two-part film is a co-production of the BBC, Thirteen/WNET New York, PBS, Spitfire Pictures, Grey Water Park Productions and Sikelia Productions, in association with Box TV.

When Robert Zimmerman became Bob Dylan, the times really were a-changing. His songs seemed to capture the social upheaval of the radical Sixties and provide a way to respond to the transformations.

Dylan has never before agreed to tell that story on film – until now.

In discussing his excitement about the films, Scorsese remarked: "I had been a great fan for many years when I had the privilege to film Bob Dylan for The Last Waltz.

"I've admired and enjoyed his many musical transformations. For me, there is no other musical artist who weaves his influences so densely to create something so personal and unique."

In addition to being the director of such outstanding feature films as Raging Bull, Goodfellas and The Aviator, Scorsese is an avid chronicler of the history of American popular music.

He executive-produced the music mini-series The Blues, which aired on BBC FOUR; directed the The Last Waltz (1978), which captured the legendary farewell concert of The Band; and edited Woodstock (1970).

No Direction Home – Bob Dylan tells the story of the singer-songwriter from his upbringing through to the astonishing creative years of 1961-66.

It includes never-seen performance footage and interviews with artists and musicians whose lives intertwined with Dylan's at that time, including Allen Ginsberg, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Maria Muldaur and many others.

In a major new interview, Dylan talks openly and extensively about this critical period in his career, detailing the journey from his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, to Greenwich Village, New York, where he became the centre of a musical and cultural upheaval – the effects of which are still felt today.

For the very first time, The Bob Dylan Archives has made available rare treasures from its film, tape and stills collection, including footage from Murray Lerner's film Festival documenting performances at the 1963, 1964 and 1965 Newport Folk Festivals, plus previously unreleased outtakes from D.A. Pennebaker's famed 1967 documentary Don't Look Back.

In anticipation of the film, members of Dylan's worldwide community of fans also contributed rarities from their collections.

Along with Scorsese, No Direction Home – Bob Dylan is being individually produced by Anthony Wall of the BBC's Arena; Jeff Rosen of Grey Water Park; Nigel Sinclair of Spitfire Pictures; and Susan Lacy of Thirteen/WNET New York's American Masters series.

"This is history, one great artist on the work of another; as Dylan's extraordinary career is building to another great peak, it's also a milestone for the BBC and PBS," said Wall, Arena series editor.

"When we first began discussing this project years ago, we were overwhelmed by the material at hand and, of course, Dylan himself, speaking so frankly about this incredible period in his life," said Lacy, series creator and executive producer of American Masters.

"What we needed – above all – was an artist with a singular vision who could fuse this material into a unique visual narrative. That artist was Martin Scorsese, who graciously agreed to direct."