3/4. Back to the Future. Dan Cruickshank examines modernism's often surprising historical roots as he journeys through ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and explores the world of medieval Germany, rural Britain during the Reformation, and Renaissance Italy. He shows how modernist monoliths such as the skyscraper have their antecedents in ancient monuments such as the pyramids, and how today's mega-structures can find their parallels in the Gothic cathedral.
Producer Kate Misrahi ; Exec producer Basil Comely 7439 , Living with Modernism follows on BBC4 at 10pm