Introduction
Despite earlier promises to pass his crown to one of his Flemish, Viking, or Norman relatives, English King Edward the Confessor dies in 1066, leaving his crown to Anglo-Saxon Harold Godwinson, causing a bloody succession war.
Outline (General)
1066: The Battle for Middle Earth is a two-part British television documentary series. In this blend of historical drama and original source material, Channel 4 re-imagines the story of this decisive year of the Norman conquest of England, not from the saddles of kings and conquerors, but through the eyes of ordinary people caught up in its events.
The documentary was narrated by actor Sir Ian Holm.
The series focuses on the Sussex village of Crowhurst, which Director Justin Hardy learned about from the Domesday Book, England’s earliest surviving public record. Located between the coast and Hastings, the little village was, according to the book, “laid to waste” in 1066. In the series, it serves as the hometown for the fictional peasant soldiers Tofi, Leofric, and Ordgar, whose names are actual Anglo-Saxon names from the period.
Viewers may assume that the programme’s title refers to The Lord of the Rings books, but Hardy chose “Middle Earth” because Anglo-Saxons frequently used the term to describe their world. He notes that J. R. R. Tolkien, an Oxford professor of Anglo-Saxon, used it, along with other Anglo-Saxon words, for the same reasons.
Outline of Series 01, Episode 02
Tofi, Leofric and Ordgar are reinforced by the Viking warrior Snorri as they race south to save Crowhurst and defend England from the Norman invasion.
We meet the Normans – an alien army of men loyal to the ruthless Duke William. Among them, the ruthless Ozouf struggles to command the loyalty of the aristocratic and gentler Coutances, despite the intimidating presence of the tongueless Drogo.
Just outside London, the English fellowship divides. Ordgar and Snorri stay with the dwindling army of King Harold, while Tofi and Leofric set off to rescue the women of Crowhurst.
To their horror, they discover that Crowhurst has been destroyed. Stumbling across the captive women and children in the southern forest, they fight off Ozouf and Coutances, rescue Judith and the child Aelf, and take them to safety.
1066: The Battle for Middle Earth Series
Production & Filming Details
- Creator: Justin Hardy.
- Producers: Lucy Bassnett-McGuire and Susan Horth.
- Writer: Peter Harness.
- Music: Richard Blair-Oliphant.
- Production: Hardy Pictures.
- Distributor: Channel 4.
- Released Date: 19 May 2009 (UK).
- Running time: 150 minutes (total running time).
- Country: UK.
- Language: English.
YouTube Link
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