Original version

BBC Four HD

BBC Four

Michael Wood

Rebecca Dobbs

King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons: Episode 1: Alfred of Wessex

Documentaries

Alfred of Wessex

Episode 1

Episode 1: Alfred of Wessex

King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four - King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons, Alfred of Wessex

King Alfred the Great fights a desperate guerrilla war in the marshes of Somerset.

Michael Wood tells the story of King Alfred the Great and his children and grandson. Alfred fights a desperate guerrilla war in the marshes of Somerset.

King Alfred the Great fights a desperate guerrilla war in the marshes of Somerset - burning the cakes on the way - before his decisive victory at Edington. Creating towns, trade and coinage, reviving learning and literacy, Alfred then laid the foundations of a single kingdom of 'all the English'. Filmed on location from Reading to Rome, using original texts read in old English, and interviews with leading scholars, Michael Wood describes a man who was  'not just the greatest Briton, but one of the greatest rulers of any time or place'.

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Factual: History

Michael Wood argues that the most important British kings lived over a thousand years ago.

Michael Wood argues that the most important and influential British kings were a father, son and grandson who lived over a thousand years ago during the age of the Vikings.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

Episode 1: Alfred of Wessex

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

BBC Four HD

About BBC Four