Does Alfred Deserve His Great?

14th May 2010

New BBC Documentary Explores Winchester's Royal
BBC One, Monday May 17th, 7.30pm

Author and Historian Lucy Worsley treads Winchester’s cobbles with King Alfred’s statue for a new BBC South documentary broadcast this Monday (May 17) on BBC One.

King Alfred – the Great? delves into the life and times of the man who led the charge against the Viking invasion and  was proclaimed king of all Anglo Saxons, to establish if Alfred’s title was truly deserved. The documentary, which will be broadcast on BBC One in the south, at 7.30pm, is part of the BBC’s A History of the World partnership.

Using objects gleaned from across the South, Lucy, who is Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, gathers the evidence.

After bringing alive the city’s statue, Lucy accompanies her King Alfred around Winchester to hear what the locals think before drawing on expert help. She then gives her verdict on Alfred’s greatness over an Anglo Saxon banquet fit for a King prepared by Winchester chef Chris Bailey.

Commenting on the film and her adventures with King Alfred, Lucy said:
“King Alfred and I were both born in Berkshire, and I’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since I studied him at college.  I can’t leave him alone because he’s such a complex, even contradictory, character: a hero with a humble side, yet clearly dominating early English history. 
“King Alfred still seems very close to the hearts of everyone in Winchester.  I loved being there and in Oxford while we were filming, meeting people, getting to handle Saxon artefacts, and eating (unburned) cakes.
“One mystery remains, though: why weren’t the Anglo-Saxon warriors I met more impressed with my battlefield skills?  Inexplicably, they seemed to think that I fought ‘like a girl’.”
During her endeavours to establish whether Alfred was actually great, Lucy hears from University of Winchester’s King Alfred expert Prof. Barbara Yorke,  explores how Alfred’s people lived with Graham Scobie of Winchester Museum, and learnt the finer points of period battles with members of the Regia Anglorum Living History Society.

King Alfred – the Great? is one of 12 regional programmes broadcast as part of BBC English Regions contribution to the pan-BBC A History of the World.  All 12 will be available to watch after broadcast via BBC iPlayer.  For more information on all the regional programmes see: Press Information, Week 20 www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice

BBC English Regions Head of Programming, Craig Henderson, said:  “These programmes highlight the great ingenuity shown by people from all parts of the country - and the contributions they made in helping shape the world. From Frank Whittle's work on the jet engine in the East Midlands, to James Brindley's canal lock in the West Midlands, the programmes feature a range of world-shaping objects, and offer a fitting climax to the part the BBC English Regions have played in the BBC's A History of the World partnership.”

Notes to Editors
1. Contributors to the documentary include:
Professor Barbara Yorke – Expert on King Alfred, University of Winchester
Kim Siddorn (King Alfred) and Roland Williamson (Guthron, Viking King), Regia Anglorum, Living History Society. 
Chris Bailey, Head Chef – The Black Rat
Graham Scobie, Historic Information Officer, Winchester Museum
Dr Mike Edwards – Medical Historian
Ginger Two Café, Winchester

2. As part of the pan-BBC project A History Of The World, BBC One is broadcasting 12 regional programmes across the English regions on Monday 17 May at 7.30pm. Each of the programmes looks at a significant turning point in that area's history and shows how the change continues to resonate through objects or the landscape.

3. A History of the World is a unique partnership between the BBC, the British Museum and 425 museums and institutions across the country. At its heart is a landmark series on BBC Radio 4, A History of the World in 100 Objects, returning on Monday 17 May at 9.45am.  The series, broadcast throughout 2010 in three tranches, is written and presented by Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum.  It features 100 objects from the British Museum’s collection and taps in to the unique power of objects to tell stories and make connections across the globe.  All BBC Radio 4 programmes broadcast to date are available to listen again via the A History of the World website www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld.

4. The project also includes large-scale activity across the Nations and English regions, an exciting and interactive digital proposition at www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld; plus an invitation to audiences to offer objects they own to create a unique digital museum online. 

5. The important legacy of A History of the World will be secured through the website and through the work and partnerships across the Nations and English Regions.

6. The documentary was made by Cloud One Productions on behalf of BBC South.

For more information contact Press & PR Officer Helen Deller, tel. 01892 675604, mob 07809 597710, email Helen.deller@bbc.co.uk