THE head of American public television, known for its British drama and documentaries, is to step down amid attacks from conservative critics.

Pat Mitchell, 62, said that she would not seek a third three-year term next year as head of the non-profit Public Broadcasting System (PBS), which is funded, in part, by the US taxpayer.

But she insisted that she had not fallen victim to America’s raging “culture wars”.

The PBS chief came under fire recently from religious conservatives for a children’s show called Postcards From Buster in which a cartoon bunny drops in on ordinary homes around the country. In a controversial episode, Buster travelled to Vermont, which permits same-sex civil unions, to visit a real-life lesbian couple. Margaret Spellings, the newly appointed Education Secretary, complained about the programme’s use of taxpayer money and said that many parents would not want their children exposed to gay lifestyles. The PBS network then provoked the wrath of liberals by refusing to distribute the episode to its 349 member stations — although the Boston station that produced the series made it available.

Ms Mitchell rejected suggestions that her departure was provoked by the rumpus, saying that she had intended to step down at the end of her present contract in June 2006.

“We have a lot to do in the next 15 months,” she said. “I have a big agenda and am happy to be in the midst of spearheading some of PBS’s greatest successes.”

Established in 1969 as a counterweight to commercial television networks, PBS quickly discovered the popularity of British programming when it aired The Forsyte Saga, the first British drama series broadcast in America.

It is also known for British children’s programming, such as Teletubbies and Boohbah.

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