The broadcaster Huw Wheldon believed that "Civilisation" was "a truly great series, a major work ... the first magnum opus attempted and realised in terms of TV." There was a widespread view among critics, including some unsympathetic to Clark's selections, that the filming set new standards. "Civilisation" attracted unprecedented viewing figures for a high art series: 2.5 million viewers in Britain and 5 million in the US. Clark's accompanying book has never been out of print, and the BBC continued to sell thousands of copies of the DVD set of "Civilisation" every year. In 2016, "The New Yorker" echoed the words of John Betjeman, describing Clark as "the man who made the best telly you’ve ever seen".