celebrating the Olympics which were  coming to London for the third time.  

Our light-hearted look at the history of the  Olympic Games from ancient times to the modern day  

looked at the origins of the Olympics in Greece  and the contribution of the Olympic ideal  

of events at the London games of 1908 and 1948.  These extracts from the original called 'Gold'  

take a light-hearted look at the origins of the  Games and two noteable moments from its history.

Welcome to the Oracle of Delphi, Ancient Greece,  some 3000 years ago. It is the year 776 and King  

Iphitos of the city of Elis has come here to  the most famous of all the ancient Greek oracles  

to ask the high priestess  to beg a favour of the gods.

Oh great and all-knowing oracle, I — King Iphitos  of Elis — have come to beg a favour of the gods.

King Iphitos the gods hear you. How may they help?

I have traveled across Greece. I have  sacrificed many an oxen in the temple and now  

I ask that Zeus, the most powerful  of all gods, will hear my plea.

How may Zeus aid his loyal servant?

Well... it's like this...

Greece is in chaos. Over 750 separate  states are fighting each other.  

Trade, ruined. Our young men are at each other's  throats. People are frightened of the soldiers,  

the crops are rotting in the  fields and now to top it all...  

a plague! I was wondering if Zeus might  have any bright ideas to sort of... stop it?

King Iphitos, I will go to the Temple of  Zeus and ask your question. Wait here.  

I won't be long. Don't touch anything.

The great god Zeus has heard your  plea and asks this of King Iphitos:  

Have you ever heard of holding  a national sporting event?

What?! Err. No, not really. Would that help?

Great Zeus commands that every  four years at the second full  

moon after the summer solstice by  the sacred sanctuary of Olympia  

and his temple, your people should hold an  athletics competition open to all Greeks.

Right. Great! Thank you.

Oh don't go, there's more. One month either  side of the games there will be a divine truce.  

All wars will stop. The whole  of Greece will be at peace.

*mutters* Go tell that to the Spartans.

You will be a judge at the Games which will  consist of... a running race. To qualify a  

runner must prove that he is a free-born Greek  and that he hasn't committed murder or sacrilege.

Right. Anything else?

Plenty! There will be prayers  and sacrifices to Great Zeus.

Sacrifices. Right. Anything else?

Great Zeus the Almighty says...  that is all for now, any questions?

Well... I don't want to be a fly in the olive  oil but... the Temple of Olympia is at least  

forty miles from my city and about 200 miles from  Athens with no facilities as such. In the summer  

the rivers dry up and the flies take over.  Are you sure anyone will want to go there?

Zeus the All Powerful says...  if you build it, they will come.

Great, well, suppose I'd better crack  on then! Thank Zeus for his help!

And so it was that the Olympic Games were born  

in a sleepy back-water of Ancient Greece some  3000 years ago. Over the next 11 centuries,  

the Olympic Games would become the most  famous sporting event in the ancient  

world. Every four years, 40,000 Greek sports fans  would make the arduous pilgrimage to Mount Olympus  

to watch athletes from all over Greece compete. In  time, the games grew into a five day event where  

spectators could witness sports such as running,  jumping, wrestling, boxing, javelin, discus,  

the four horse chariot race and the infamous  pancration. A successful athlete at the Olympic  

Games could find themselves catapulted into the  A list of Ancient Greek sporting celebrities.

Ancient Greek sports fans, welcome to the  Hippodrome and the mayhem and carnage that is  

the four horse chariot race. The ultimate  demonstration of skill and danger,  

the sport of kings. All of the  risks, none of the health and safety.

The charioteers are pros hired in, the  chariots brightly coloured and the horses  

thoroughbred. It costs a fortune. 40 chariots  and their charioteers enter the hippodrome,  

a field with two stone pillars at either end  to signal the turning points. A special device,  

the Aphesis, acts as a starting gate. The  charioteers hold the reins in their right hand  

and a whip in their left. A trumpet sounds.  The Aphesis rises. And the charioteers  

thunder down the Hippodrome. The crowd go wild  with excitement, they watch in amazement. Some  

of them choose to stand close to the stone pillars  where the crashes are most likely to happen. The  

charioteers have to survive 12 laps, that's  24 turns! The course is around six miles long  

and it takes about quarter of an hour to complete.  But that quarter of an hour demands all the  

charioteers' concentration if they are just to  survive. In the noise, the chaos, and the dust,  

chariots are thrown into the air, horses go mad  and charioteers are flung to the ground to be  

dragged mangled and trampled. Attendants rush on  to clear the crashed and the crushed out of the  

way. The charioteers have to find a path through  all the chaos. A trumpet call announces the last  

turn. Sometimes only one or two chariots are left  as they race around the last turn into the home  

straight. A moment's lack of concentration  and a chariot crashes out. By a miracle  

it stops short of the screaming crowds. As the  winning chariot crosses the line, the crowd go  

mad! [cheering] Especially those lucky enough to  have money on the winner. The winning charioteer  

will have a statue erected in their honour.  But the real winner is the owner of the horses!  

They now have the most valuable breeding stock in  Ancient Greece, so they will throw a lavish party  

that evening and at the awards ceremony it is  they who will pick up the victor's laurel wreath.

So, uh, where is the owner  of this fine team of horses?

At the London Olympics of 1908, a true  sporting spectacle occurred. The Marathon.  

A long distance endurance race of just over 26  miles. It had been introduced in 1896 to the  

games. It had captured the public imagination like  no other event. 55 competitors from 16 nations  

in regulation shorts and jerseys. At 2:33pm  precisely Queen Mary starts the race. [bang!]

And the competitors pass the statue of Queen  Victoria, Tom Longboat in the lead. On past  

Eton School and Britain are in the lead. Five  miles in Britain are first, second and third with  

the little Italian in fourth place. News of the  leaders is telephoned through to the stadium every  

five minutes. The day is hot and humid. The road  is hard as flint. In Uxbridge at the nine mile  

mark, Britain are first and second, Hefron third.  And just behind him, the Italian Pietri, Tom  

Longboat is up near the front. At Pinner Gasworks,  fifteen miles in, some competitors are collapsing  

from exhaustion. Hefron has the lead. Ten minutes  behind him, Pietri and Longboat run neck and neck.  

At the twenty mile mark, the Indian Wonder  sees off the Italian baker for second place  

and closes with Hefron on a long  stretch of road. The sun beats down.

Then, disaster! Tom Longboat  throws up his arms and collapses.  

The Italian Pietri staggers on into second place.  The American, Johnny Hayes, moves into third.

At the 24 miles mark, Charles  Hefron has a commanding lead  

of one mile! He pauses for a glass of champagne  offered by a well-wisher and continues on his way.  

Wormwood Scrubs comes into  view. Only one mile to go.

Then, disaster! The champagne gives  Hefron cramp. His stride slows until  

he is barely moving. Dorando Pietri staggers  on, his eyes glazed but the gap is closing.

Within sight of the domes and  turrets of White City Stadium,  

Hefron slows to a walk. Dorando Pietri  closes in, his limping gait energised.  

In the stadium, 100,000 spectators  wait. Nobody knows who is winning.

And then, at the gate, a lone figure  staggers into view in the stadium.  

He pauses and the crowd erupt into cheers!

Cheers change to groans as Pietri collapses.  He crawls to his feet again and totters on.

Race officials circle round. 100 yards to  go. The last bend before the finshing tape!  

He stumbles and falls again. This time,  race officials catch and support him.  

Now he is yards from the tape. In his delirium, he  is unaware that the American Hayes has entered the  

stadium and closing fast. Willing himself on, he  totters forward, breaks the tape and collapses.

The Italian flag is hoisted over the stadium.  The crowd are making so much noise that when  

Johnny Hayes crosses the finishing line people  barely notice. Charles Hefron comes in third.

Almost immediately, American officials complain  about the official interference. The Italian  

officials complain their man was assisted against  his wishes. But it is no good. Dorando Pietri is  

disqualified later that evening, but it is  his heroic effort the crowd remember. He has  

won over not only the public but also the royal  family. At the awards ceremony, Queen Alexandra  

presents him with a silver cup and postcards  of him holding it are sold by the thousands.

[music]