Civilisation
Jonathan Conlin

2009 marks the 40th anniversary of BBC2's landmark series Civilisation, an epic 13-part history of western Europe from the Dark Ages to Concorde's first flight. An embattled figure in television history, Kenneth Clark's runaway success is a milestone to fans who fondly recall the impact the series had in 1969 - and a millstone to others wanting a less patrician take on art. Love him or loathe him, Clark played a pivotal role in broadcasting history, from wartime propaganda through the birth of ITV and the arrival of colour. His series created a new format - the authored 'pundit as hero' documentary series - subsequently exploited by Alistair Cooke, Jacob Bronowski and David Attenborough. It's the series everyone in the UK and the US remembers, but which has never been the object of sustained critical attention - until now.

This book reveals complexities beneath the familiar caricature of the pompous man in the sharp suit: a rich and often paradoxical series that combined nostalgia and cutting-edge technology, confidence and pessimism, continuity and dislocation. Forty years on, its time to go back to Civilisation and find out what it meant in 1969, and what it means today.