# The Ascent of Man (1973)

> Jacob Bronowski's thirteen-part personal view of how science, art and ideas shaped human civilisation.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/32079

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Created by: Jacob Bronowski
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Jacob Bronowski
- TMDB rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069733/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: eloquent, contemplative, warm, hopeful, erudite

## What critics say

Widely admired as an erudite, humanist history of science and ideas, with its eloquent presenter and location filming standing out, though its broad scope and Western-centred framing draw some reservations.

## Synopsis

The Ascent of Man (1973) is a British documentary series created by Jacob Bronowski for BBC Two, produced with Time Life Films. Bronowski himself is the sole principal presence, a mathematician and scientist who narrates and appears on screen across thirteen fifty-minute episodes, speaking in long unscripted monologues that trace how human beings came to know the world. Rather than a dry chronology, the engine of the series is his argument that science, art and invention form one continuous human story, unfolded through discoveries from ancient tools to modern physics. Each episode is built from extensive location shoots at sites across several continents, where he stands among ruins, workshops and laboratories and connects a specific discovery to the people who made it. The shape is a single complete run of thirteen episodes, a standalone program rather than a serial drama. Its register is warm, erudite and contemplative, with an eloquent simplicity that makes complicated ideas feel personal and hopeful. Fans of Civilisation, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage and The Blue Planet will find resonance in its blend of expert presenting, sweeping scope and humanist curiosity about the human mind.

## Shows like The Ascent of Man

- [The Human Body (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/31675)
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- [The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/41349)
- [A Perfect Planet (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/95990)
- [Wonders of the Universe (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/34738)
- [Connections (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/139303)
- [Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980)](https://ember.film/tv/1346)
- [Guns Germs & Steel (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/61611)
- [Hollywood (1980)](https://ember.film/tv/38818)
- [All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/40061)

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