Michael Gill, 81; Developed New Form of Documentary

Michael Gill, 81, who directed the popular miniseries “Civilisation” (1969), with Sir Kenneth Clark as presenter, and followed it with “America” (1972), presented by Alistair Cooke, died Oct. 20 in London of undisclosed causes. In recent years he had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

Gill pioneered the “authored documentary,” a style he developed during the making of his two best-known miniseries. In both, the narrator wrote his own script and discussed his subject on location, not in a studio.

Born in Winchester, England, Gill graduated from Edinburgh University and worked as a newspaper journalist in the early 1950s. He joined BBC radio in 1954 and moved to BBC television in 1958.

In addition to directing, he co-produced “Civilisation” and produced “America.” He went on to produce a number of other series, including “Royal Heritage” (1976), about England’s royal family, “Vintage: A History of Wine” (1991) and “Highlanders” (1995), about Scotland’s clans.

He also made several documentaries about artists, including “Paul Gauguin: The Savage Dream” (1988). In 1977 Gill left the BBC to form Malone Gill, an independent film company, with a partner, Adrian Malone.