1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2009) Channel Four

1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2/2)

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.



Source: Channel 4

Epic drama revealing the untold story of the Norman Conquest through the eyes of the ordinary villagers caught up in the chaos.



There is one date in British history that everyone knows. Kids might not know quite why they know it, but it will ring a bell for them in any case. For the rest of us, it's the day poor Harold got an arrow through the eye, the Normans invaded, and we started saying 'regal' as well as 'kingly' (and other such Frenchified words). A worthy subject for a dramatisation then, certainly - it's just a shame that this one is so terribly leaden.



The Battle of Hastings is one of the most famous conflicts in history and this fact-based docu-drama tells the plight of ordinary English men on the frontline. Described as a drama this is more like a re-enactment documentary as Ian Holm’s dulcet tones narrate the history before it’s played out by the cast. 1066 took a while to actually find its feet but once settled was quite fun. At the start a group of Sussex villagers and farmers are recruited to fight for King Harold and sent north to take on invading Vikings. The Battle of Stanford Bridge, which closed the first part, was entertaining and almost worth the wait, especially as the top Viking warrior bludgeons his way through many of the English fighters single handily. The first part merely acts as set up to the main conflict as the defence against the Vikings has left the south open for an attack from Norman orcs (meaning “demon” says one of the many random fact snippets). The final episode was certainly the stronger of the two as it took a step back from the voiceovers and instead let more of the nicely choreographed action speak for itself.



Read more at Suite101: 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (Channel 4): Historic Re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings Review http://british-tv.suite101.com/article.cfm/1066_the_battle_f...