1066 The Battle for Middle Earth

British television documentary series October 2015 February 2014 Historical Drama Peter Harness Justin Hardy Ian Holm Mike Bailey Francis Magee Tim Plester Søren Byder Kate Ambler Gemma Lawrence Sam Hardy Katrine Bach Amber Celeste Christopher Sloman Christopher Leveaux Richard Blair-Oliphant United Kingdom English, Anglo-Saxon, French, Norse 1 2 Lucy Bassnett-McGuire, Susan Horth 150 minutes 2009 05 18 yes 2009 05 19 yes 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth is a two-part British television documentary series, directed by Justin Hardy and written by Peter Harness, aired on Channel 4 in 2009. 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. Domesday Book Discover Domesday http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/domesday/discover-domesday/ www.nationalarchives.gov.uk 7 October 2015 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. Interview: Justin Hardy on 1066: the Battle for Middle Earth https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/5319929/Interview-Justin-Hardy-on-1066-the-Battle-for-Middle-Earth.html 7 October 2015 Pete Naughton 13 May 2009 References External links 1329539 1066 The Battle of Middle Earth 1066 - Channel 4 Category:2009 British television series debuts Category:2009 English-language television series debuts Category:2009 British television series endings Category:2009 English-language television series endings Category:2000s British documentary television series Category:British military television series Category:Channel 4 documentary series Category:Television shows set in Sussex Category:English-language British television shows