The 1969 groundbreaking Civilisation series took viewers on an extraordinary cultural tour through the centuries. Lisa Kerrigan examines its origins and later influence on television documentary.

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When she was a mere sprout of 14, Mary Beard tuned into the first episode of Sir Kenneth Clark’s famous BBC documentary, Civilisation, and felt a “slight tingle.” “It had never struck me,” she wrote ...

First broadcast in 1969 across 13 episodes, Civilisation took viewers on a tour through 13 countries and back through many centuries, all guided by Lord Kenneth Clark as he expounded, with ...