A Greek Odyssey – the perfect armchair vacation

A vacation visiting the Greek Isles may be out of the question this summer – but Jeff and David have been working on a virtual alternative – A Greek Odyssey.

This week sees the launch of a new Channel 5 TV series A Greek Odyssey for which Jeff and David contributed original music for all six episodes.

In the series, historian, author and broadcaster Bettany Hughes, pictured below, embarks on an extraordinary journey to unpack the myths and legends of the Greek islands. Her immersive voyage of discovery explores the culture, traditions, food and history of the Aegean.

The series explores the Greek myths, the people who created them and the landscapes which gave them shape. Presented in a travelogue style, the programmes bring to life her epic heroes; Odysseus, Achilles, Jason and his Argonauts, Helen of Troy and Heracles.

Professor Hughes has devoted the last 25 years in bringing the ancient world to life and aside from her books, films, TV and radio programmes, she has taught at universities throughout Europe and the USA including Oxford, Cambride, Cornell, University College London, Maastricht and Utrecht.

Her passion for bringing the ancient world to life in an accurate and entertaining way led to her working closely with Jeff and David on the development of the soundtrack.

Says Jeff: “Our original brief was to compose and produce the theme music for the series. along the way, our involvement grew and by the end of production we had contributed music throughout every episode. We composed and recorded music for the opening and end credits, the pre-title and for various montages.

“We worked closely with Bettany, who took a great interest in the music and series director Anna Thomson.”

Recalls David: “It’s not uncommon to work on projects where budgets are limited and timescales are tight. In this case though we working against the production deadlines and the limitations imposed upon us by the Coronavirus which struck midway through filming.

“Because of the crisis, the music was produced without access to live musicians and eventually all of the 23 minutes of music that we created were used in the series – including an extra piece that was commissioned late in the process.

“We thoroughly enjoyed working on the project. Working directly to picture is a wonderful thing and as composers it gives us a lot of licence in the creative process.”

Meegan&Tobin · Greek Island Odyssey

Greek Island Odyssey airs on UK Channel 5 TV at 9pm BST on Friday June 12. More information about the programme here.