JB: I wrote a book called the Identity of Man. I never saw the cover of the English edition until the book reached me in print. And yet the artist had understood exactly what was in my mind, by putting on the cover a drawing of the brain and the Mona Lisa, one on top of the other

When filming did begin, a light plane, carrying a cameraman and sound recordist, crashed within seconds of taking off...


I WAS THINKING, God, what do I tell the parents, the wives and so on - and I promised everybody I'd get them home for Christmas, but not in body bags.
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The Ascent of Man

When we got back, Bruno and I decided we should put it in the series because it was a sort of perfect overview of what Bruno thought the series was about: the Ascent of Man was invested in any one person and in any one person's life.

Adrian Malone

Source: BBC Radio, 'Proms' interval feature, 1999.