Zig Zag: Getting About

	Reading Music
	BBC Schools Radio
	1982-1984
	Music

	Maths Songbook
	BBC Schools Radio
	1982-1983
	Mathematics

	Gair yn ei Le
	BBC Schools Radio
	1968-1984
	English

📺BBC Schools TV

companyBBC

started15th Feb 1988

ended14th Mar 1988

last rpt25th Nov 1992

6 school years

episodes4

duration20 mins

subject 🌏Geography

age rangeAge 7-9

languageenIn English

Zig Zag

Previous unit: Rush, The Fallow DeerNext unit: Wildlife Safari

Getting About is a unit of the BBC Schools TV series Zig Zag from the 1980s & 1990s, covering geography for primary school pupils.

A unit about map-reading, finding your way in an unknown area, and getting to know your local area better.

The bulk of each episode is taken up with a dramatised treasure hunt around the Isle of Wight, in which Tony Aitken tries to help a boatyard threatened with closure by following clues to local landmarks and following directions.

Tony Aitken exploring

The Getting About drama sequences were originally shown on the earlier series Merry-Go-Round in 1981, and are surrounded by new studio material for this 1988 Zig Zag unit.

Paul Coia presenting

Episode List

#	Title	Broadcast
1.	Trail Clues	#1988-02-15-00-00-0015 Feb 1988
2.	Direction	#1988-02-29-00-00-0029 Feb 1988
3.	Distance	#1988-03-07-00-00-007 Mar 1988
4.	Reading the Earth	#1988-03-14-00-00-0014 Mar 1988

Broadcasts

Year	Term	Mon	Wed	Channel
1987-88	Spring 1988	Monday, 11:00am	Wednesday, 1:38pm	BBC2
1990-91	Autumn 1990	Monday, 11:00am	Wednesday, 1:40pm	BBC2
1992-93	Autumn 1992	Monday, 11:00am	Wednesday, 1:40pm	BBC2

Credits

Presenter	Paul Coia
Starring	Tony Aitken as man on bike
With	Judy Grindley as boatyard owner
Series Producer	Tom Stanier
Producers	Diane Morgan Roger Fry

Resources

There were teacher's notes available.

Zig Zag (1983-2000)

Series Overview • Units • Episode List

Ancient Greece (1996) • The Anglo-Saxons (1992) • The Arabs (1984) • Art (1997) • Canada (1987) • Cathedrals (1989) • The Channel Tunnel (1987) • Computers (1983) • Danger Detectors (1996) • The Eskimos (1985) • Food and Farming (1995) • France (2000) • Gardens and Growth (1985) • Geography UK (1995) • Getting About (1988) • The Greeks (1986) • Hungry Times (1983) • Invaders (1997) • Kenya (1994-96) • Let's Face It (1990) • Making It Work (1997) • Mapmakers! (1993) • Mordicus (1986) • The Normans (1983) • The Odyssey (1990) • The Olympics (1984-92) • Over to You (1985-89) • Roman Britain (1993) • Rush, The Fallow Deer (1987) • The Saga of Gunnar Goldhair (1987) • Snapshots: Children in the Second World War (2000) • Space (1984-88) • Spaceship Earth (1986) • Tales from Europe (1992) • Tales from Europe (2000) • Technology (1991) • Topical Programmes (1985-89) • Trees (1993) • Trees and Man (1991) • Tudor Life (1998) • The Vikings (1987) • Village, Town, City (1997) • A Walk Through Time (1999) • Water (1990) • Water, Air, Land (1998) • Weather (1999) • Where You Live, Where I Live (1994) • Wildlife Safari (1989-91) • Winter Festival (1986) • World of Work (1989) • You and the Media (1986)

See also: Zig Zag Shorts • Landmarks • Primary Geography • Primary History

Topics

School topics covered in this programme. Click to find other programmes covering the same topics, but bear in mind topics are a new addition to the site in 2023 and not many are set up yet.

Exploration

Geographical skills and fieldwork

Map reading

Keyword tags

Some features of this programme. Click to find other programmes with the same features, but bear in mind tags are also a new addition to the site in 2023 and not many are set up yet.

Documentary

Dramatised

Presenter

Drama sequence in a longer programme

Repeats in a different series

Presenter drives round

Treasure hunt

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