1066 The Battle for Middle Earth

1066 The Battle for Middle Earth
Genre Historical Drama
Written by Peter Harness
Directed by Justin Hardy
Starring Ian Holm, Mike Bailey, Francis Magee, Tim Plester, Søren Byder, Kate Ambler, Gemma Lawrence, Sam Hardy, Katrine Bach, Amber Celeste, Christopher Sloman, Christopher Leveaux
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 2
Production
Producer(s) Lucy Bassnett-McGuire, Susan Horth
Running time 150 minutes
Distributor Channel 4
Release
Original release 2009
External links
Website

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, 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 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.[1] 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 program's title refers to the Lord of the Rings books, but in fact Hardy chose "Middle Earth" because Anglo-Saxons frequently used the term to describe their world. He notes that Tolkien, an Oxford professor of Anglo-Saxon, used it, along with other Anglo-Saxon words, for the same reasons.[2]

References

  1. "Domesday Book | Discover Domesday". www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  2. Naughton, Pete (13 May 2009). "Interview: Justin Hardy on 1066: the Battle for Middle Earth". Retrieved 7 October 2015.

External links


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