On this week's programme: The nastiest Presidential elections in the history of the USA.

It was originally a song about a Scottish boat, but since the early 19th century, Hail to the Chief has, rather incongruously, become the personal anthem of the President of the United States. In order for the 'Chief' to be entitled to this musical greeting he, or possibly she, will probably have endured a long, rigorous and often vituperative election campaign.

In case you thought American presidential elections only began to get really nasty in 2016, nothing could be further from the truth. Tonight we’re going to look at a cross section of some of the more malevolent contests.

We start with the race between Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland and Republican James G. Blaine. This 1884 election is explained by Professor Glen Gendzel, who lectures in American history at San Jose State University. Glen also explains the 1896 election between Republican William McKinley and Democrat William Jennings Bryan, and the 1928 election between Republican Herbert Hoover and Democrat Al Smith.

Then we hear from Dr Sandra Scanlon, lecturer in US History at University College Dublin, who talks about the 1964 contest between Democrat Lyndon Johnson and Republican Barry Goldwater, and the 1988 election between Republican George H.W. Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis.

Also, we take a dip into the RTÉ Radio Archives to explore the controversial 1968 election between Republican Richard Nixon and Democrat Hubert Humphrey, which saw LBJ deciding not to seek another term, a dramatic Democratic Primary race, the assassination of Robert F Kennedy, and a chaotic Democratic convention. We hear excerpts from a programme recorded by Myles Dungan in 1988, in which he interviewed Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy, journalist David Halberstam, Robert F Kennedy's Press Secretary Frank Mankievicz, and CBS News correspondent Ike Pappas.