Zig Zag: The Anglo-Saxons

	Sarah Moves On
	Channel 4 Schools
	2004-2009
	Citizenship

	Same Difference
	Channel 4 Schools
	1999-2000
	Citizenship

	Social Inclusion Dramas
	BBC Schools TV
	2003-2008
	Citizenship

📺BBC Schools TV

companyCase Television

started14th Sep 1992

ended19th Oct 1992

last rpt19th Sep 2003on the CBBC Channel

12 school years

episodes6

duration20 mins

subject 🏛️History

age rangeAge 7-9

languageenIn English

5 images from The Anglo-Saxons

Zig Zag

Previous unit: Tales from Europe (1992)Next unit: Trees

The Anglo-Saxons is a unit of the BBC Schools TV series Zig Zag from the 1990s & 2000s, covering history for primary school pupils.

Paul Coia finds out about the Anglo-Saxons by visiting sites such as a reconstructed village at West Stow and the remains of a monastery in Jarrow. He meets the 'ghosts' of characters from the past who explain their lives and interests.

The first three episodes include a re-telling of Beowulf written by Kevin Crossley-Holland, with illustrations and a traditional story-teller.

The last three episodes include the filmed drama serial The Raven and the Cross, as originally shown on Merry-Go-Round in 1974.

Beowulf
The Raven and the Cross

Awards

Programme 1 from this unit won the Royal Television Society Educational Television Award in 1991 for Junior Schools Television, age 7-9.

Episode List

#	Title	Broadcast
1.	Anglo-Saxon Life	#1992-09-14-00-00-0014 Sep 1992
2.	Anglo-Saxon Treasure	#1992-09-21-00-00-0021 Sep 1992
3.	Anglo-Saxon Monks	#1992-09-28-00-00-0028 Sep 1992
4.	Anglo-Saxons Invaded	#1992-10-05-00-00-005 Oct 1992
5.	Anglo-Saxons at Bay	#1992-10-12-00-00-0012 Oct 1992
6.	Anglo-Saxons Triumph!	#1992-10-19-00-00-0019 Oct 1992

Broadcasts

Year	Term	Mon	Wed	Channel
1992-93	Autumn 1992	Monday, 11:00am	Wednesday, 1:40pm	BBC2
1994-95	Autumn 1994	Monday, 11:00am	Wednesday, 1:25pm	BBC2
1996-97	Spring 1997	Monday, 11:10am	Wednesday, 1:25pm	BBC2
1999-2000	Summer 2000	Monday, 11:10am		BBC2

Also broadcast overnight as part of BBC2's Learning Zone broadcasts, in Summer 1997 from 2am on Thursday 17th April 1997.

CBBC Channel

Also broadcast on the CBBC Channel 'Class TV' service of schools programmes:

2001-02: Summer 2002
2002-03: Autumn 2002
2003-04: Autumn 2003

Credits

Presenter	Paul Coia
Beowulf adapted by	Kevin Crossley-Holland
The Raven and the Cross starring	Seymour Green as Guthrun Claire Walker as Edwina Mollie Maureen as Ellen Charles Collingwood as Cedric Edward Phillips as Athelwald Kenneth Watson as Sigfrid
The Raven and the Cross director	Dorothea Brooking
Zig Zag director	Tom Stanier
Producer	Patricia Williams

Resources

Teacher's Notes

Video Plus notes

There were teacher's notes, a Video Plus packs, a Factfinders book and software for Acorn computers available.

Links

BBC Education - Zig Zag - The Anglo-Saxons (archived 2002)

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.

Historical research and evidence

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.

Drama sequence in a longer programme

BBC Factfinders books

BBC Video Plus Packs

Children's books published

Software for Acorn

Support website

Repeated in the 21st century

Repeats in a different series

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