Civilisation and the Rise of the Television Blockbuster Documentary

This article examines how Civilisation created a formula for putting together and presenting documentary series on British television using expensive production values and a well-respected presenter to introduce serious cultural content. It explores the international and historic impact of Civilisation, which became the blueprint for a whole range of popular, high-budget, internationally co-produced documentary series from the early 1970s onwards: the ‘blockbuster documentary’.