Michael Gill, 81, Filmmaker Known for TV's 'Civilisation,' Dies

Michael Gill, a British television producer and director best known in this country for innovative "authored documentary" series like "Civilisation" (1969), featuring Lord Kenneth Clark, and "America" (1972), with Alistair Cooke, died on Oct. 20 at a London hospital. A London resident, he was 81.

The cause was complications of Alzheimer's disease, said Murray Grigor, a friend and associate.

He and the filmmakers Adrian Malone and Peter Montagnon came to devise the genre of authored documentaries, in which they presented distinguished hosts to a new generation of viewers ready to follow their explorations of history and the arts.

With Mr. Montagnon, Mr. Gill directed and produced "Civilisation," a highly successful series consisting of three months' worth of weekly broadcasts that was shown on public television and in museums all over the world. Narrated by Lord Clark, the eminent British art historian, it originated with the British Broadcasting Corporation for the express purpose of bringing the riches and wonders of his métier to a wider audience in a comprehensive tableau.