279 91 OU Discovering Physics Beyond Experience

From a 1992 transmission of a 1982 programme from The Open University. John Walters delivers an introduction to Quantum Mechanics in a calm, soothing Welsh drawl using what appear today to be very basic presentation techniques.

I find this programme fascinating however because it demonstrates rather nicely that a carefully worded and calmly delivered verbal tutorial, along with some basic props, are far more effective than wiz-bang effects.

However, on that subject, it could be said that this, as with many other OU programmes of the 70s/80s, were in the vanguard when it came to 'infographics', using multi-layer bluescreen (Chromakey/Colour Separation Overlay) techniques and early computer graphics to generate what these days people would think of simply as "Powerpoint slides", but this is a great reminder that the style of visual presentation predated Powerpoint, the templates and common usage of which do a disservice to this art form, that of making the complicated sound, and look, simple.

I do wonder if the OU/BBC kept all of these programmes. Given that the BBC wiped/skipped many children's and schools programmes in a mass cull in 1993, I tend to think that any programme 'past its shelf life' in 1993 may have been similarly chucked out. In fact, I foresaw this in 1992 (not knowing for many years what actually turned out to have happened in 1993) and recorded a few items 'just in case'.

Sadly there is a small section missing from this recording, where I reached the end of the tape and had to wind back and resume at an earlier point.