Zig Zag: The Odyssey
The Odyssey is a unit of the BBC Schools TV series Zig Zag from the 1990s, covering history for primary school pupils.
These programmes had originally been shown as part of the earlier series Merry-Go-Round in summer 1976, and repeated in 1977 and 1981. They were significantly re-edited for this revival as part of Zig Zag a decade later, with new sequences added and extra narration recorded by the original presenter.
A repeat run in 1993 omitted the 5th episode on The Fury of Poseidon.
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Robert Erskine with a map of Greece -
Children undertaking archaeology in their classroom
Remake
These programmes have been painstakingly edited to transform the 15-minute episodes made in the mid-1970s into 20-minute productions for the 1990s.
Most of the additional time is made up with scenes of children in their classrooms working on Greek projects, but several extra lines of narration by Robert Erskine have been added to the original, and other sequences changed round.
In episode 4, the documentary content has been almost completely remade to focus on Greek pottery and the archaeology that uncovered it, replacing the 1970s original's use of the musical instruments depicted on some pottery to demonstrate music and the song to be used for the Sirens' singing.
Edit notes
The first episode provides an excellent example of the changes made between the 1970s and 1990s.
Both versions begin with Robert Erskine at home with some children watching Dr Who on the TV. In 1976 they are watching Tom Baker as the main character in a story called Terror of the Zygons. Robert comments that Dr Who is somebody very special who can do all sorts of amazing things a bit like magic, the character is a hero, a goodie who always wins in the end. He then talks about Odysseus, another hero.
In 1990 the living room sequence remains but the TV shots have been re-edited to show footage of Sylvester McCoy as the main character in Remembrance of the Daleks. A man sitting down with his children in 1976 to watch a TV programme which would not be made for another 12 years sounds like the plot of a Dr Who episode, but here it is taken for granted!
The subsequent comments are also expanded in 1990 with newly-recorded extra snippets by Robert Erskine (sounding 15 years older!) explaining that heroes could be pop singers, TV stars or royalty accompanied by photos of celebrities who were very appropriate as childhood heroes in 1990, though they may not be considered so in subsequent decades: Michael Jackson, Philip Schofield and Princess Diana.
An extra sequence in 1990 shows children naming some of their favourite heroes, including "the man who flew the plane on the M1 disaster", footballer Peter Beardsley, and their own mum.
The 1990 version adds extra sequences explaining theories about the identity of Homer, the situation of Ithaca, how sea journeys were undertaken, and the location of Troy, all using new narration but interspersed between snippets of the maps used in the original 1976 programme.
Having reached Troy, the 1990 version then resumes, mid-paragraph with the 1976 footage of Robert Erskine explaning the Trojan war on screen. There is more new narration as the story begins to set the scene, and a different episode title (The Wooden Horse in 1976 becomes The Siege of Troy on-screen in 1990), but then the next 10 minutes or so of storytelling are unaltered between the versions.
Only when the soldiers emerge from the horse do the two versions differ again. In 1976, Robert matter-of-factly narrates that "King Priam was killed in his palace. Every one of his sons died in the fighting. Troy, the greatest city of Asia, was burnt to the ground. And Odysseus, King of Ithaca, became the most honoured man in Greece."
In 1990 there is an extended sequence of dramatic pans and zooms and very quick cutting across pictures of the battle, fire and destruction to the stirring music of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, as Robert recounts that "after a few hours the fighting was over. The Trojans lay dead and Troy, the greatest city of Asia, was burnt to the ground. And Odysseus, King of Ithaca, became the most honoured man in Greece."
The battle in 1990 is more dramatic, but perhaps less traumatic, than the battle in 1976.
The 1976 version ends with Odysseus heading home, but the 1990 version adds some foreshadowing: "home was a long way off and for Odysseus and his men the real dangers were yet to come."
Episode List
| # | Title | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Siege of Troy | 15 Jan 1990 |
| 2. | The Cyclops | 22 Jan 1990 |
| 3. | The Magic of Circe | 29 Jan 1990 |
| 4. | The Sirens | 5 Feb 1990 |
| 5. | The Fury of Poseidon | 12 Feb 1990 |
| 6. | The Homecoming | 26 Feb 1990 |
Broadcasts
| Year | Term | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Channel | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | Spring 1990 | Monday, 11:00am | Wednesday, 1:40pm | BBC2 | ||||
| 1992-93 | Spring 1993 | Monday, 11:00am | Wednesday, 1:40pm | BBC2 |
Credits
| Presenter | Robert Erskine |
| Producer | Andrea Christodoulou |
Resources
There were termly teacher's notes and a Factfinders book (The World of Odysseus) available.
Related programmes
- Merry-Go-Round: The OdysseyThe original production from which this was edited
- Zig Zag: The Greeks
- Zig Zag: Ancient Greece
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