Current TV, the channel launched in the States by ex-US vice president Al Gore two years ago, launched this morning in the UK.

Speaking at a press conference Gore described the channel as "TV for the internet generation."

Gore said: "Traditional television fails many viewers because it beams programmes at them with little regard for their input and no opportunity for interaction. Current instead facilitates a conversation with and among our viewers."

The channel has become a US phenomenon, building an audience from nearly from 17 million US homes to nearly 40 million across the four major TV suppliers.

With a target audience of 18-34-year-olds, the majority of the content is created from viewer created content pods of three to eight minutes about a range of subjects.

'Pod' highlights include animation satire Supernews, Google Current which takes a look at the most searched internet content every half hour, a film about guerilla gardening and A day in the life of the Edge, a pod created by U2 singer Bono.

Each pod is shuffled, with the viewers having the power to vote or 'green-light' programmes onto the network via the Current TV website, www.uk.current.com.

The channel has also teamed up with The British Library to create a unique 12-month video snapshot of the UK. Called 'The Citizen's Diary of Great Britain', 12 unique British video stories will be voted into a body of work that will be preserved by The British Library for future generations to see.

In the UK, the channel is available on Sky channel 229 and Virgin Media channel 155, with selected content available to view on the website.