The first episode of The Ascent of Man was broadcast on 5 May 1973. The 13-part series, written and presented by Jacob Bronowski - was one of the landmarks of documentary television. The Ascent of Man was presented as a personal view of humanity's scientific achievement, exploring science, as Civilisation had explored art. Both series were commissioned by David Attenborough, Controller of BBC2, who later presented his own landmark series, Life on Earth.
Bronowski told the story thematically, with different programmes concentrating on subjects such as chemistry, agriculture or astronomy. His ability to explain complex ideas made him a winning television personality. "These programmes", he said, "are about the making of creation - Man making mistakes, then seeing the right answers. Science is creative, not a mere mechanical practice". To aid his narrative Bronowski filmed in locations as diverse as the Great Rift Valley, Easter Island, Cambridge and Auschwitz.
Bronowski was just 66 when he died in 1974, the year after the first broadcast of The Ascent of Man. The scripts from the series were published in The Listener, and then gathered into a best-selling book. The book was recently reprinted with a foreword by Richard Dawkins and remains relevant today, despite the enormous developments in science and technology since it was written.
May anniversaries
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