Talk:The Ascent of Man

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Untitled

Are we sure about this:

In fact the complete series has not been screened uncut in Britain since 1986

I saw what appeared to be the complete series shown late at night on BBC2 a few years ago (probably around 2000) - it may have been screened during the "Learning Zone" or whatever they call it. I don't know for sure if it was complete, but as I say, it appeared to be so (unless I'm misremembering something). They certainly didn't include commercials or extra bits by Douglas Adams. --Camembert

The version shown on the Learning Zone was cut from 50 minutes per episode to 45. (Over the course of 13 episodes that's over an hour missing!) Why they did it I just don't know - I stopped trying to make sense of the BBC's decisions years ago, but it makes me mad that they're not willing to give it a fully-remastered DVD edition. --Lee M

The BBC is indeed a strange beast. Thanks for the explanation. --Camembert

UPDATE: There's now a fully-remastered DVD edition, to which I can only say about bloody time too...but it's only available by mail order!!! See revised article for details. Lee M 16:50, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

QUESTION: Is this the full version or the 5 minutes bbc-buchery one.--LexCorp 17:13, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Hopefully full length...if they're going to all the trouble of remastering you'd think they'd include the whole thing! Anyway, I've only just ordered it, so I'll be able to let you know in a few days. Lee M 17:42, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Thanks, I would appreciate that. I got the series by "other" means and will only pay for a respectful remaster. --LexCorp 18:05, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

(Moving back to left of frame): OK, I've just received the DVDs and although I haven't watched them all yet I'm happy to confirm that they are apparently uncut - at least, they're all just under 50 minutes, which checks out. No extras though, apart from a short reminiscence by David Attenborough. PS region code is 2 & 4 (ie Europe and Australia & NZ). Lee M 13:41, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Very belated footnote to the above. The series was repeated on BBC Four in August-September 2023, and the video seems identical to the DVD. Calling it "digitally remastered" is really stretching a point by 2023 standards. The film prints are faded, dirty, scratched and unstable. The original opening titles on white backgrounds are often riddled with dust, and one reel of Episode 3 has prominent jitter from torn sprocket holes. The audio quality is OK, but hissy and a bit tinny. With all the technology that's available today it's really a crime that the BBC can't get the money together to do a proper restoration.

Additional points: I've seen a YouTube posting of the WGBH/PBS version of Episode 1, which had different opening titles, and intro and outro by Anthony Hopkins, who in the outro conducted a short interview with a prominent scientist about the episode. I assume the rest of the series had similar pieces. I don't know how many of these may still exist, but it would be nice if somebody could round them up for a future release.

Similarly, when the series was shown (in typically abridged versions) by the now-defunct UK Horizons channel, it featured new intros and outros by Douglas Adams. They've never been seen since, but presumably still exist somewhere in the UKTV archive and should also be resurrected for a future home video release.

And finally, such a release would not be complete without the uncut Michael Parkinson interview with Dr Bronowski. Lee M (talk) 23:51, 4 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I just wanted to ask, is the biographical footnote at the bottom of the overview really necessary? It seems stark and irrelevant. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.0.223.55 (talk) 13:51, 4 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Topic in lede

The lede should explain a bit better in few words what the series is about, rather than only comparing it to civilisation. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.121.201.99 (talk) 20:15, 11 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I reordered the overview section, it should elevate this problem if not, this article[1] might be useful to you. --PLNR (talk) 08:39, 7 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

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Music Used In Ascent of Man

The sentences on music used are misleading. The vast majority of the music used in the series is Classical Music rather than music produced by the BBC Radiophonic workshop or the two pieces by Pink Floyd and The Moody Blues. At least four or five pieces are used per episode . These include Gregorian Chant, Allegri Misere, Monteverdi Orfeo, Mozart Marriage of Figaro , Beethoven Eroica, Sibelius, Bartok Concerto for Orchestra and Bartok Music for Strings. Unfortunately these are nor credited and I cannot find any list on the internet.