Civilisation

20041 series
Available on
BBC One

Kenneth Clarke explores the evolution of Western culture from the collapse of Rome to the Romantics.

Romance and Reality: Episode Image
Episode 3Romance and Reality

Kenneth Clark travels to France and Italy to capture the spirit of the later Middle Ages.

Man: The Measure of all Things: Episode Image
Episode 4Man: The Measure of all Things

Kenneth Clark continues his reflections on civilisation with a look at Renaissance man.

The Skin of Our Teeth: Episode Image
Episode 1The Skin of Our Teeth

Kenneth Clark's classic 1969 series looks at how European art survived the Dark Ages.

The Great Thaw: Episode Image
Episode 2The Great Thaw

Kenneth Clark looks at the reawakening of European civilisation in the 12th century.

The Hero as Artist: Episode Image
Episode 5The Hero as Artist

Kenneth Clark looks at artists Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci.

Protest and Communication: Episode Image
Episode 6Protest and Communication

Lord Clark looks at the upheavals of the Reformation.

Grandeur and Obedience: Episode Image
Episode 7Grandeur and Obedience

Sir Kenneth Clark visits Rome where he examines the Catholic world in the 16th Century.

The Light of Experience: Episode Image
Episode 8The Light of Experience

Kenneth Clark looks at the Holland of Rembrandt and the London of Purcell and Wren.

The Pursuit of Happiness: Episode Image
Episode 9The Pursuit of Happiness

Kenneth Clark looks at the influence of 18th-century music on rococo architecture.

The Smile of Reason: Episode Image
Episode 10The Smile of Reason

A look at the beginnings of revolutionary politics in the 18th century.

The Worship of Nature: Episode Image
Episode 11The Worship of Nature

Kenneth Clark examines the belief in the divinity of nature.

The Fallacies of Hope: Episode Image
Episode 12The Fallacies of Hope

Kenneth Clark traces the progressive disillusionment of Romantic movement artists.

Heroic Materialism: Episode Image
Episode 13Heroic Materialism

Kenneth Clark considers heroic materialism and humanitarianism in the past 100 years.

How to watch Civilisation