It replaced CBC's previous Sunday night journalistic series This Week.
[1] Its first season was hosted by University of Saskatchewan political science professor Rick Hart.
The series was led in following seasons by a selection of journalists and analysts who included Arnold Beichman, Alistair Cooke, Philip Deane, Robert Fulford, Robert McKenzie, Michael Maclear and Malcolm Muggeridge.
[3] Background was produced by Cliff Solway, who complained of difficulty finding guests who could provide a sufficiently forceful presentation for the show.
[4] For its first season, the series aired Sundays at 11:15 p.m. in a 25-minute time slot from 5 July 1959 to 26 June 1960.