Man Alive was a Canadian television series about faith and spirituality. It took its name from a poem by St. Irenaeus, a second Century Bishop of Lyon who wrote: The glory of God is a man truly alive.
The program, debuted in 1967 on CBC Television, hosted by Roy Bonisteel. Bonisteel retired in 1989, and was replaced by Peter Downie. Arthur Kent replaced Downie for one season. R. H. Thomson hosted until the show was canceled.
Man Alive took a diverse non-denominational approach to religious and spiritual matters. The program covered a wide range of topics: nuclear war, UFOs, Holocaust survivors, sexual abuse, Third World development, family relationships, people with disabilities, the Vatican Bank scandal and profiles of religious figures such as Mother Theresa, Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.
After several seasons of co-productions with Vision TV and the Life Network, the last episode aired on CBC Television 17 December 2000.
Man Alive was a popular documentary and current affairs series that ran on BBC Television from 1965 to 1981. During that time there were nearly 500 programmes tackling a range of social and political issues, both in the UK and abroad. It was often accused of trying to sensationalise its subjects or interviewees.
British television journalist and presenter Esther Rantzen worked on Man Alive in the mid 1960s. She went on to marry one of the programme's most prominent reporters, and executive producer Desmond Wilcox. Wilcox contributed directly to about 50 Man Alive programmes. The series was commissioned by Sir David Attenborough, who was the controller of BBC Two from 1965 to 1969.
Man Alive! is a Stephen Stills solo album released in 2005. It featured guest appearances by Herbie Hancock, Graham Nash, and Neil Young.
