This programme pays documentary tribute to one of the most remarkable and individual architects who produced some of the most remarkable buildings Europe has ever seen. Influenced by the Catalan architecture of his native Tarragona and the evolved gothic mode preferred by the French architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) developed an avant-garde, Art Nouveau style all of his own: highly original, ornate buildings comprised of organic shapes, clad in mosaics of broken coloured tiles which evoke an underwater fluidity.

But such florid subaqueousness did not go down well with his contemporaries. Most of them mocked his work and his lone financial supporter, the rich industrialist Eusebi Güell. Gaudi buildings such as the Casa Mila and Casa Batllo were sneeringly referred to as 'the quarry' and 'the house of bones'. George Orwell wasn't impressed either: he stayed in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, and described La Sagrada Familia as 'one of the most hideous buildings in the world'. (Of course, Mr Orwell never lived to see the Elephant and Castle.)

However, Gaudi persevered in spite of opposition, and his vision left a lasting impression in Barcelona, the city to which he devoted most of his life. In fact, as well as peppering Barcelona with myriad fantastical houses, squares and parks, there's a chance that he is also devoting some of his afterlife to the city - his masterwork, the Roman Catholic basilica La Sagrada Familia famously remains unfinished. Gaudi was assigned the project in 1884, and worked on it for the next 40 years until his tragic death. He suffered the ignominy of being hit by a tram, and then, owing to his unkempt physical state, lay unrecognised in hospital for three days. But three days is the blink of an eye on the Gaudian timescale: the building he envisaged as 'the last great sanctuary of Christendom' was only partially built, is still being constructed today, and the latest estimates for completion put its topping-out ceremony at some time within the next 80 years.

However, with the rise of budget airlines, an estimated four million tourists now visit Barcelona every year, drawn by Gaudi's innovative legacy, and the Sagrada Familia is top of the must-see list. ...Wonder how many people will be going when it's finished...