Douglas Murray hits out at Mary Beard and the BBC over ‘Civilisation’ warning

Author Douglas Murray has hit out at Dame Mary Beard and the BBC for their warnings about Kenneth Clark’s iconic ‘Civilisation’ documentary series.

Originally broadcast in 1969, the series observes the rise of Western civilisation and drew a large audience when it first aired.

The BBC is broadcasting the series for the first time in over a decade, however, it has been given a warning note for reflecting the “standards and attitudes” of its time.

Douglas Murray hits out at Mary Beard and the BBC over ‘Civilisation’ warning

The BBC also released a video where Mary Beard critiqued the series, calling it a “European story” told by Mr Clark.

“As I pointed out in The Telegraph, such an un-insightful and such a banal accusation itself,” Mr Murry told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

“Of course, somebody from Britain or Europe is likely, first of all, to look at the world through the eyes that they have.

“I mean it would be very strange if Kenneth Clarke had done a series called Civilisation which was centred on looking at Chinese culture through the eyes of a Korean.”