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The Worst Episodes of The Ascent of Man

Every episode of The Ascent of Man ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Ascent of Man!

The Ascent of Man is a thirteen-part documentary television series produced by the BBC and Time-Life Films first transmitted in 1973, written and presented by...
Genre:Documentary
Network:BBC Two

Worst Episodes Summary

"The Grain in the Stone" is the worst rated episode of "The Ascent of Man". It scored 7.9/10 based on 63 votes. Directed by Mick Jackson and written by Jacob Bronowski, it aired on 5/19/1973. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "The Harvest of the Seasons".

  • The Grain in the Stone
    7.9/1063 votes
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    #1 - The Grain in the Stone

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 5/19/1973

    The wandering nomads cease their migrations and settle in townships, learning new skills.

    Director: Mick Jackson

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • The Harvest of the Seasons
    8.0/1062 votes
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    #2 - The Harvest of the Seasons

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 5/12/1973

    As the ice retreats and the land flowers, Man the hunter turns to agriculture, domesticating plant and animal, imposing his will on the wild wheat and the horse.

    Director: Adrian Malone

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • Lower Than the Angels
    8.1/1073 votes
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    #3 - Lower Than the Angels

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 5/5/1973

    The programme follows the changes in Man as he marches out of Africa, through desert and ice age, to leave the print of his hand in a dark Spanish cave.

    Director: Adrian Malone

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • The Hidden Structure
    8.1/1062 votes
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    #4 - The Hidden Structure

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 5/26/1973

    The programme follows the beginnings of chemistry: from the techniques of ancient metallurgy in China and Japan to the mystical searchings of the alchemists.

    Director: Mick Jackson

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • Music of the Spheres
    8.1/1059 votes
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    #5 - Music of the Spheres

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 6/2/1973

    Mathematics is a way of describing the world that we see, hear and touch.

    Director: Adrian Malone

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • The Majestic Clockwork
    8.2/1052 votes
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    #6 - The Majestic Clockwork

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 6/16/1973

    The universe of Newton, clear, English, stately, like the music and the great buildings of his century ticking away with a fine clockwork mechanism, wisely regulated by laws. Then the quizzical world of Einstein whose direct truth and questions could turn the dignified universe upside-down in the interests of a clearer understanding. We ride with Einstein on his beam of light to end our journey in our own century.

    Director: Dick Gilling

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • The Drive for Power
    8.2/1047 votes
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    #7 - The Drive for Power

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 6/23/1973

    As political revolutions shook France and America, another quieter, yet more profound restructuring was taking place in Britain - the Industrial Revolution.

    Director: David John Kennard

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • World Within World
    8.3/1046 votes
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    #8 - World Within World

    Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 7/7/1973

    Dr Jacob Bronowski tells the story of the men and ideas that gave concrete expression to the invisible, intangible structure that lies beneath all matter.

    Director: Mick Jackson

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • The Starry Messenger
    8.4/1056 votes
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    #9 - The Starry Messenger

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 6/9/1973

    From the earliest times, Man has looked outwards from the earth and wondered at the movements of sun, stars and planets. The programme hinges on the crisis of the scientific conscience in the person of the astronomer Galileo and in the rich cities of Venice and Rome, the scenes both of his triumph and his punishment.

    Director: Adrian Malone

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • The Ladder of Creation
    8.4/1051 votes
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    #10 - The Ladder of Creation

    Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 6/30/1973

    How did life begin on earth? Dr Jacob Bronowski recounts the adventures of Alfred Russell Wallace, and how they triggered off the ideas of Charles Darwin.

    Director: Mick Jackson

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • The Long Childhood
    8.4/1048 votes
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    #11 - The Long Childhood

    Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 7/28/1973

    From his home, Dr Jacob Bronowski takes stock of man's complex and often precarious ascent, drawing on experiences from his own lifetime.

    Director: Adrian Malone

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • Generation Upon Generation
    8.5/1044 votes
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    #12 - Generation Upon Generation

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 7/21/1973

    Dr Jacob Bronowski follows the history of genetics, from the lonely experiments of Gregor Mendel to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Should we see human sexuality as a gift?

    Director: Mick Jackson

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski

  • Knowledge or Certainty
    8.6/1057 votes
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    #13 - Knowledge or Certainty

    Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 7/14/1973

    Dr Jacob Bronowski considers how the great achievement of physics in the 20th century has been to show that absolute certainty, in science or outside of it, is beyond our grasp.

    Director: Mick Jackson

    Writer: Jacob Bronowski