1 00:00:00,463 --> 00:00:03,796 (soft orchestral music) 2 00:00:11,191 --> 00:00:13,653 [Simon] Who's our greatest national hero? 3 00:00:15,420 --> 00:00:17,310 Churchill perhaps? 4 00:00:17,310 --> 00:00:19,023 Admiral Nelson maybe? 5 00:00:20,513 --> 00:00:22,413 Nobby Stiles, anyone? 6 00:00:23,700 --> 00:00:26,190 It's tricky, but my hero is someone 7 00:00:26,190 --> 00:00:28,949 of unrivaled legendary status. 8 00:00:28,949 --> 00:00:32,282 (soft orchestral music) 9 00:00:37,038 --> 00:00:40,143 He drew his sword, Excalibur, from the stone. 10 00:00:41,629 --> 00:00:44,973 He assembled the Knights of the Round Table at Camelot. 11 00:00:46,541 --> 00:00:49,208 She ever grows more beautiful. 12 00:00:50,061 --> 00:00:51,870 [Simon] He was betrayed 13 00:00:51,870 --> 00:00:54,120 by his queen, Guinevere and Lancelot. 14 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:56,967 This is the knight who came so swiftly to my rescue. 15 00:00:59,700 --> 00:01:02,016 [Simon] And it's said he will one day return 16 00:01:02,016 --> 00:01:03,949 in our hour of need. 17 00:01:03,949 --> 00:01:05,370 (soft orchestral music) 18 00:01:05,370 --> 00:01:07,230 His name is King Arthur. 19 00:01:07,230 --> 00:01:09,144 Hail to Arthur, King of England! 20 00:01:09,144 --> 00:01:11,977 [Crowd] Hail to Arthur, King of England! 21 00:01:11,977 --> 00:01:14,187 (soft orchestral music) 22 00:01:14,187 --> 00:01:16,953 But where does this timeless legend come from? 23 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:21,099 It's difficult to know, 24 00:01:21,099 --> 00:01:25,904 but I believe its origins lie here at Hastings. 25 00:01:25,904 --> 00:01:29,092 (soft orchestral music) 26 00:01:29,092 --> 00:01:33,246 When the Normans defeated King Harold here in 1066, 27 00:01:33,246 --> 00:01:35,190 it wasn't the end of the conquest, 28 00:01:35,190 --> 00:01:37,924 it was only the beginning and to exert control, 29 00:01:37,924 --> 00:01:41,940 they had to conquer not just the country, but the culture. 30 00:01:41,940 --> 00:01:45,369 And in doing so, they embraced the legend of King Arthur 31 00:01:45,369 --> 00:01:48,930 to such an extent that the Arthur that we think of today, 32 00:01:48,930 --> 00:01:51,480 that great icon of Britishness, 33 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,499 is as much a Norman creation as he is our own. 34 00:01:55,499 --> 00:01:59,880 (military orchestral music) 35 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:01,920 As a poet, I'm not interested 36 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,903 in whether Arthur existed or not. 37 00:02:05,250 --> 00:02:08,520 Instead, I want to trace the story through the literature 38 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,518 and manuscripts of the medieval age. 39 00:02:11,518 --> 00:02:13,830 (military orchestral music) 40 00:02:13,830 --> 00:02:16,290 To show how the Norman invaders plundered him 41 00:02:16,290 --> 00:02:18,480 from the poems of Welsh bards, 42 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:22,022 fixing him in their own image and language. 43 00:02:22,022 --> 00:02:26,520 (military orchestral music) 44 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,160 How foppish French poets would recast him 45 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,436 as cuckold and coward. 46 00:02:31,436 --> 00:02:34,470 (military orchestral music) 47 00:02:34,470 --> 00:02:38,460 And finally, how a new generation of English writers 48 00:02:38,460 --> 00:02:42,761 would reclaim him as our quintessential national hero. 49 00:02:42,761 --> 00:02:46,428 (military orchestral music) 50 00:02:52,923 --> 00:02:55,673 (waves crashing) 51 00:02:58,948 --> 00:03:02,531 (melodic orchestral music) 52 00:03:07,867 --> 00:03:11,738 "Some men in England say that King Arthur is not dead, 53 00:03:11,738 --> 00:03:16,257 that he shall come again, he's the once and future king." 54 00:03:18,210 --> 00:03:20,553 Those are the words of Thomas Mallory, 55 00:03:20,553 --> 00:03:23,458 the greatest of all Arthurian writers, 56 00:03:23,458 --> 00:03:25,173 and he was right too. 57 00:03:26,940 --> 00:03:28,410 About 10 years ago, 58 00:03:28,410 --> 00:03:31,951 King Arthur actually came to my hometown in Yorkshire. 59 00:03:31,951 --> 00:03:34,138 ♪ One, two, a one, two, three, four ♪ 60 00:03:34,138 --> 00:03:36,230 ♪ It's time to open the curtains ♪ 61 00:03:36,230 --> 00:03:38,544 ♪ It's time to light the lights ♪ 62 00:03:38,544 --> 00:03:41,450 ♪ It's time to go berserk at the pantomime tonight ♪ 63 00:03:41,450 --> 00:03:44,340 [Simon] I was there all singing, all dancing, 64 00:03:44,340 --> 00:03:46,560 the night Puleside Working Men's Club, 65 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,103 put on our annual panto. 66 00:03:48,103 --> 00:03:50,759 ♪ Round and round at the pantomime tonight ♪ 67 00:03:50,759 --> 00:03:51,592 ♪ We're rolling out the ♪ 68 00:03:51,592 --> 00:03:54,931 This surreal vision of Arthur was dreamed up 69 00:03:54,931 --> 00:03:59,931 in the overactive mind of one Peter Armitage, my dad. 70 00:04:00,392 --> 00:04:03,460 The first voice that anyone heard was the voice of Merlin 71 00:04:04,710 --> 00:04:07,950 who said, "Roll up over here, over here. 72 00:04:07,950 --> 00:04:10,523 Get the sword out of the stone and rule England!" 73 00:04:10,523 --> 00:04:11,828 (audience laughing) 74 00:04:11,828 --> 00:04:14,198 Have a go. You'd make a lovely king. 75 00:04:14,198 --> 00:04:15,693 (audience laughing) 76 00:04:15,693 --> 00:04:18,693 (crowd encouraging) 77 00:04:20,936 --> 00:04:22,769 I've broken me nail! 78 00:04:26,027 --> 00:04:28,183 There's some dresses there. 79 00:04:28,183 --> 00:04:29,595 [Peter] Yeah, look at them. 80 00:04:29,595 --> 00:04:31,083 [Simon] That was Guinevere's dress, wasn't it? 81 00:04:31,083 --> 00:04:34,017 [Peter] Yeah, there's a bit of quality there. 82 00:04:34,017 --> 00:04:35,967 -Hey, look at these. -(both laughing) 83 00:04:35,967 --> 00:04:37,380 It's got blood on it. 84 00:04:37,380 --> 00:04:40,619 Yeah, well, it will. You've got to have realism. 85 00:04:40,619 --> 00:04:42,926 Look at that, man. 86 00:04:42,926 --> 00:04:45,717 Now, a man's got a certain amount of pride, 87 00:04:45,717 --> 00:04:48,729 when he writes his initials on his own sword. 88 00:04:48,729 --> 00:04:50,523 (laughs) I remember being in one of the battles 89 00:04:50,523 --> 00:04:53,352 -with one of these swords. -(laughs|) Hey, look here! 90 00:04:53,352 --> 00:04:56,516 Hey, what can't speak can't lie, have a look at that. 91 00:04:56,516 --> 00:04:58,879 "SA," Simon Armitage, my sword. 92 00:04:58,879 --> 00:05:00,483 (both laughing) 93 00:05:00,483 --> 00:05:01,873 It is, that's my writing. 94 00:05:01,873 --> 00:05:03,510 It's your writing, isn't it? 95 00:05:03,510 --> 00:05:05,130 -Hey, reunited. -Yeah. 96 00:05:05,130 --> 00:05:06,574 I am the true Arthur! (chuckling) 97 00:05:06,574 --> 00:05:08,670 [Peter] Yeah. (chuckling) 98 00:05:08,670 --> 00:05:11,010 -Fantastic, isn't it? -Yeah. 99 00:05:11,010 --> 00:05:12,246 It's an "Aladdin's Cave." 100 00:05:12,246 --> 00:05:15,381 I'm reluctant to let that go now, I have to say. 101 00:05:15,381 --> 00:05:16,320 Do you want it? 102 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:17,550 I think it's part of my inheritance, yeah. 103 00:05:17,550 --> 00:05:19,170 -Do you want it? -I do, yeah. 104 00:05:19,170 --> 00:05:22,343 Hey, speaking of inheritance, that might be it, pal. 105 00:05:22,343 --> 00:05:24,840 The way I'm spending on me holidays at the moment, 106 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:26,607 that might be what you're getting. 107 00:05:26,607 --> 00:05:27,488 (both laughing) 108 00:05:27,488 --> 00:05:29,538 -Are you ready? -Ready? 109 00:05:29,538 --> 00:05:32,525 [Player] One, two, three, four! 110 00:05:32,525 --> 00:05:34,656 (crowd encouraging) 111 00:05:34,656 --> 00:05:37,807 [Simon] My dad's panto was an idiosyncratic take 112 00:05:37,807 --> 00:05:39,721 on the Arthur story. 113 00:05:39,721 --> 00:05:41,994 -(audience laughing) -I can't do it. 114 00:05:41,994 --> 00:05:44,349 (triumphant orchestral music) 115 00:05:44,349 --> 00:05:46,650 [Simon] But every generation 116 00:05:46,650 --> 00:05:49,020 has seen Arthur in a different way. 117 00:05:49,020 --> 00:05:52,869 (triumphant orchestral music) 118 00:05:52,869 --> 00:05:56,280 For the Victorians, he offered a nostalgia kick 119 00:05:56,280 --> 00:05:58,383 in an age of industrialization. 120 00:06:01,050 --> 00:06:02,790 In the 20th century, 121 00:06:02,790 --> 00:06:05,502 he was popularized in children's literature. 122 00:06:05,502 --> 00:06:07,987 (children cheering) 123 00:06:07,987 --> 00:06:10,528 For archeologists, evidence of Arthur 124 00:06:10,528 --> 00:06:12,699 can be the key to fame and fortune. 125 00:06:12,699 --> 00:06:15,420 [Archeologist] Maybe the bones of King Arthur 126 00:06:15,420 --> 00:06:18,543 lie beneath this grass, maybe they don't. 127 00:06:19,866 --> 00:06:23,103 My Lord, let me go in search of the Grail. 128 00:06:24,077 --> 00:06:28,030 [Simon] There have been countless screen adaptations 129 00:06:29,415 --> 00:06:31,710 and who could forget Rick Wakeman's, 130 00:06:31,710 --> 00:06:34,915 prog rock extravaganza, "Arthur on Ice"? 131 00:06:34,915 --> 00:06:37,748 (prog rock music) 132 00:06:38,814 --> 00:06:41,045 The one thing that unites them all 133 00:06:41,045 --> 00:06:45,279 is the image of Arthur as our great national hero. 134 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:48,900 But it's only when I started translating medieval poetry 135 00:06:48,900 --> 00:06:53,900 that I realized our Arthur is a Norman. 136 00:06:54,822 --> 00:06:59,822 -(military drumming music) -(crows cawing) 137 00:07:07,883 --> 00:07:10,440 Imagine you're William the Conqueror. 138 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,599 You were victorious at the Battle of Hastings 139 00:07:13,599 --> 00:07:17,709 and now you're marching to Wales to subdue the people 140 00:07:17,709 --> 00:07:20,043 and to see what else you can filch. 141 00:07:22,889 --> 00:07:25,380 But in this part of the country, 142 00:07:25,380 --> 00:07:27,813 the natives just won't lie down. 143 00:07:28,750 --> 00:07:33,750 -(military drumming music) -(crows cawing) 144 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:42,086 This area around here along the English-Welsh border, 145 00:07:42,086 --> 00:07:45,570 I mean, it seems very serene and pleasant 146 00:07:45,570 --> 00:07:48,000 and quiet this morning, but it would've been a scene 147 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,630 of great conflict and endless skirmishes 148 00:07:51,630 --> 00:07:55,233 and castles like this remind us how the Normans 149 00:07:55,233 --> 00:07:58,560 not only wanted to fortify their interests 150 00:07:58,560 --> 00:07:59,760 and subdue the people, 151 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,060 but almost stands as a metaphor for how they wanted 152 00:08:03,060 --> 00:08:07,440 to impose themself on the cultural landscape. 153 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:12,440 -(military drumming music) -(crows cawing) 154 00:08:14,530 --> 00:08:17,880 The Norman Conquest would be a total conquest 155 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,063 of land, of people, of culture, 156 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:26,937 and to achieve that, they needed someone to rewrite history. 157 00:08:26,937 --> 00:08:30,437 (military drumming music) 158 00:08:32,645 --> 00:08:36,273 You're a Norman cleric with literary ambitions. 159 00:08:38,382 --> 00:08:40,593 You live and work here. 160 00:08:41,490 --> 00:08:43,905 These days, the place is empty. 161 00:08:43,905 --> 00:08:47,324 -(playful orchestral music) -(keyboard tapping) 162 00:08:47,324 --> 00:08:49,890 There's only Hazel who works in the office 163 00:08:49,890 --> 00:08:51,873 weekdays, nine until noon. 164 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,800 But in 1135, Monmouth Priory was a thriving monastery 165 00:09:00,900 --> 00:09:03,813 and home to the writer, Geoffrey of Monmouth. 166 00:09:05,394 --> 00:09:07,440 Geoffrey was determined to write 167 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:11,343 a new Norman version of history to please his superiors. 168 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:14,610 In doing so, he would kickstart 169 00:09:14,610 --> 00:09:17,454 the Arthurian legend we know today. 170 00:09:17,454 --> 00:09:20,580 You get the impression of Geoffrey 171 00:09:20,580 --> 00:09:23,370 as a young and ambitious man, he was a cleric, 172 00:09:23,370 --> 00:09:27,763 he was a scholar with an eye for the main chance, 173 00:09:27,763 --> 00:09:30,540 maybe noticing a gap in the market 174 00:09:30,540 --> 00:09:34,956 and contemplating writing a bestseller. 175 00:09:34,956 --> 00:09:38,673 -(light melodic music) -(keyboard tapping) 176 00:09:38,673 --> 00:09:42,166 [Hazel] "Oftentimes, in turning over in mine own mind 177 00:09:42,166 --> 00:09:45,663 the many themes that might be subject matter of a book, 178 00:09:47,100 --> 00:09:49,380 my thoughts would fall upon the plan 179 00:09:49,380 --> 00:09:53,454 of writing a history of the kings of Britain." 180 00:09:53,454 --> 00:09:55,676 (light melodic music) 181 00:09:55,676 --> 00:09:58,152 That's Geoffrey himself in his preface 182 00:09:58,152 --> 00:10:00,742 to what will become his famous work, 183 00:10:00,742 --> 00:10:04,800 and it gives us a little insight into the man himself 184 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:08,130 sitting down with the intention of writing 185 00:10:08,130 --> 00:10:13,130 a lucid, sober, clear-minded history of these islands. 186 00:10:13,962 --> 00:10:16,110 (keyboard tapping) 187 00:10:16,110 --> 00:10:17,670 At the heart of his history 188 00:10:17,670 --> 00:10:19,563 will be the reign of King Arthur, 189 00:10:21,690 --> 00:10:24,990 but Geoffrey's Arthur would prove a very different character 190 00:10:24,990 --> 00:10:28,995 from the Arthur celebrated by the local Welsh bards. 191 00:10:28,995 --> 00:10:31,912 (soft eerie music) 192 00:10:38,804 --> 00:10:42,810 This Arthur was a mythological Welsh chieftain, 193 00:10:42,810 --> 00:10:45,303 whose spirit inhabited the landscape. 194 00:10:47,477 --> 00:10:52,477 -(Twm speaking Welsh) -(soft eerie music) 195 00:10:57,174 --> 00:10:59,608 [Simon] He was a shadowy character, 196 00:10:59,608 --> 00:11:01,980 his mere name, a symbol of hope 197 00:11:01,980 --> 00:11:04,683 and unity in uncertain times. 198 00:11:05,970 --> 00:11:10,970 -(Twm speaking Welsh) -(soft eerie music) 199 00:11:17,095 --> 00:11:20,670 [Simon] And in the taverns of the Welsh Hills, 200 00:11:20,670 --> 00:11:22,953 his story is still told. 201 00:11:24,463 --> 00:11:29,463 -(Twm speaking Welsh) -(soft eerie music) 202 00:11:34,544 --> 00:11:37,461 (soft eerie music) 203 00:11:42,416 --> 00:11:44,820 Arthur, from very early times, 204 00:11:44,820 --> 00:11:47,490 his name was always sung like a bell 205 00:11:47,490 --> 00:11:50,160 down through the centuries in Welsh poetry 206 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:52,890 as a wonderful example 207 00:11:52,890 --> 00:11:55,680 of what all chieftains 208 00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:58,057 or leaders or patrons should be. 209 00:11:58,057 --> 00:12:00,240 [Simon] Do you think it would've been 210 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,464 politically convenient for the Normans 211 00:12:02,464 --> 00:12:03,930 to appropriate Arthur? 212 00:12:03,930 --> 00:12:05,372 I do. 213 00:12:05,372 --> 00:12:07,517 The Normans, being very canny people, 214 00:12:07,517 --> 00:12:11,010 they knew how to use history and legend, 215 00:12:11,010 --> 00:12:14,682 and if they could appropriate the story of King Arthur, 216 00:12:14,682 --> 00:12:19,230 they could also become the proprietors 217 00:12:19,230 --> 00:12:21,679 of all that Arthur belonged to. 218 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:25,020 [Simon] So by possessing one of their heroes, 219 00:12:25,020 --> 00:12:27,120 they become possessors of the hearts and minds 220 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:29,910 -of the people as well? -I think so, yeah. 221 00:12:29,910 --> 00:12:31,150 But we know 222 00:12:32,340 --> 00:12:33,963 that he is one of us. 223 00:12:34,971 --> 00:12:37,290 [Simon] Am I one of us? 224 00:12:37,290 --> 00:12:38,490 You can be, if you like. 225 00:12:38,490 --> 00:12:39,490 [Simon] Thank you. 226 00:12:41,416 --> 00:12:45,030 (soft orchestral music) 227 00:12:45,030 --> 00:12:47,821 In writing his history, Geoffrey of Monmouth stole 228 00:12:47,821 --> 00:12:50,560 the figure of Arthur from the Welsh bards 229 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:55,458 and began molding him into a Norman character. 230 00:12:55,458 --> 00:13:00,458 -(hammer thudding) -(soft dramatic music) 231 00:13:08,940 --> 00:13:12,030 He forged an ancestral link between Arthur 232 00:13:12,030 --> 00:13:14,313 and the new Norman ruling elite. 233 00:13:17,304 --> 00:13:20,520 He hammered out Arthur's rough edges, 234 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:24,663 creating a polished and refined magisterial king. 235 00:13:24,663 --> 00:13:29,663 -(hammer thudding) -(soft dramatic music) 236 00:13:30,450 --> 00:13:32,910 He even drew comparisons between Arthur 237 00:13:32,910 --> 00:13:34,803 and William the Conqueror himself. 238 00:13:39,210 --> 00:13:43,023 Geoffrey had crafted the first clear image of King Arthur, 239 00:13:46,530 --> 00:13:49,923 and that image was of a Norman conqueror. 240 00:13:49,923 --> 00:13:53,256 (soft orchestral music) 241 00:13:57,462 --> 00:14:00,907 (soft haunting music) 242 00:14:00,907 --> 00:14:04,443 [Hector] "Arthur did set upon his head the helm of gold. 243 00:14:06,810 --> 00:14:11,810 Gert was he also with Excalibur, best of swords, 244 00:14:12,420 --> 00:14:14,937 that was forged within the Isle of Avalon." 245 00:14:17,861 --> 00:14:20,610 [Simon] And Arthur's tool of conquest 246 00:14:20,610 --> 00:14:22,923 was the sword, Excalibur. 247 00:14:25,788 --> 00:14:29,040 At his Wiltshire forge, Hector spends his days 248 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,653 contemplating the power of the sword. 249 00:14:34,350 --> 00:14:37,320 You know, all hand-forged swords have character, 250 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,171 and then if they're used by the right person 251 00:14:40,171 --> 00:14:41,790 and they're successful, 252 00:14:41,790 --> 00:14:44,880 this is where your myths and legends start. 253 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,730 The swords in Arthurian literature 254 00:14:47,730 --> 00:14:51,502 often seem to be imbued with magical properties as well. 255 00:14:51,502 --> 00:14:54,660 I'm just wondering, when you're making these, 256 00:14:54,660 --> 00:14:59,423 do you feel as if you're working in an ancient craft 257 00:14:59,423 --> 00:15:02,010 on sort of almost sacred object? 258 00:15:02,010 --> 00:15:04,290 That is my pleasure in making them. 259 00:15:04,290 --> 00:15:06,240 There is a magical quality about it, 260 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:08,660 I don't care what anyone says, 261 00:15:08,660 --> 00:15:12,750 but it's that earth, fire, water and air 262 00:15:12,750 --> 00:15:15,210 that you're using, all those elements 263 00:15:15,210 --> 00:15:17,047 and they're all going into that blade. 264 00:15:17,047 --> 00:15:19,710 [Simon] What about in the 12th century, 265 00:15:19,710 --> 00:15:22,260 when Geoffrey of Monmouth was writing, 266 00:15:22,260 --> 00:15:24,570 is this the kind of thing that he would've had in mind? 267 00:15:24,570 --> 00:15:27,150 The sword that we've been working on today 268 00:15:27,150 --> 00:15:30,510 is the sword that he would be familiar with. 269 00:15:30,510 --> 00:15:33,062 It was still very much a slashing weapon, 270 00:15:33,062 --> 00:15:36,840 and if you were on horseback then you needed a long blade 271 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,890 and a reasonable amount of weight in that sword, 272 00:15:40,890 --> 00:15:44,040 so that it would function when you used it. 273 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:46,739 It does feel very usable, you know, very balanced. 274 00:15:46,739 --> 00:15:50,169 They are, yes, they should float in your hands 275 00:15:50,169 --> 00:15:52,797 -so that you can use them. -It does, it really does. 276 00:15:52,797 --> 00:15:54,660 No, that could be very handy in Huddersfield 277 00:15:54,660 --> 00:15:55,493 on a Friday night. 278 00:15:55,493 --> 00:15:56,975 -Oh, definitely. -Yeah. 279 00:15:56,975 --> 00:15:58,180 (both laughing) 280 00:15:58,180 --> 00:16:00,630 (soft melodic music) 281 00:16:00,630 --> 00:16:02,520 With Excalibur in his hand, 282 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,520 Geoffrey's Arthur defeats the Anglo-Saxons 283 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:08,313 and conquers vast swathes of the continent, 284 00:16:09,948 --> 00:16:12,033 just as the Normans had done. 285 00:16:14,284 --> 00:16:16,980 They say the pen is mightier than the sword, 286 00:16:16,980 --> 00:16:18,810 but you feel pretty mighty 287 00:16:18,810 --> 00:16:20,490 with a sword in your hand as well. 288 00:16:20,490 --> 00:16:23,820 And Arthur is certainly mighty, 289 00:16:23,820 --> 00:16:27,270 when Geoffrey of Monmouth writes about him going into battle 290 00:16:27,270 --> 00:16:29,280 and this is the sign of his power. 291 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,410 He says that Arthur 292 00:16:31,410 --> 00:16:35,130 goes swishing into the thickest part of the battle, 293 00:16:35,130 --> 00:16:37,740 crying out, "Holy Mary!" 294 00:16:37,740 --> 00:16:42,540 And kills 470 of the enemy just by touching them, 295 00:16:42,540 --> 00:16:45,180 and it's as if Excalibur 296 00:16:45,180 --> 00:16:48,513 is the embodiment of Arthur himself. 297 00:16:49,951 --> 00:16:53,284 (soft orchestral music) 298 00:16:55,200 --> 00:17:00,200 London, 1150, and Geoffrey's King Arthur is all the rage. 299 00:17:03,537 --> 00:17:06,791 If you're a poet looking to make a quick bob, 300 00:17:06,791 --> 00:17:10,200 you can do much worse than pick up Geoffrey's "History" 301 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:14,703 and make it your own, cutting here and adding there. 302 00:17:17,297 --> 00:17:20,310 It was the Norman poet, Robert Wace, 303 00:17:20,310 --> 00:17:24,376 who first translated Geoffrey's prose history into poetry. 304 00:17:24,376 --> 00:17:28,530 He wrote in Old French and called it the "Roman de Brut," 305 00:17:28,530 --> 00:17:30,952 the "Romance of the Britons." 306 00:17:30,952 --> 00:17:33,600 (soft piano music) 307 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:35,850 One of the few remaining copies 308 00:17:35,850 --> 00:17:39,514 rests here at the Royal College of Arms. 309 00:17:39,514 --> 00:17:42,091 (clock ticking) 310 00:17:42,091 --> 00:17:44,070 This is the nerve center 311 00:17:44,070 --> 00:17:47,073 from which all of Britain's heraldry is administered. 312 00:17:47,949 --> 00:17:50,866 (soft piano music) 313 00:17:52,470 --> 00:17:56,643 Step inside and it's like a medieval world that time forgot. 314 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,410 Even today, members of the College of Arms 315 00:18:01,410 --> 00:18:03,033 have a heraldic title. 316 00:18:04,290 --> 00:18:06,560 This is Bluemantle Pursuivant, 317 00:18:07,830 --> 00:18:09,912 also known as Peter. 318 00:18:09,912 --> 00:18:12,829 (soft piano music) 319 00:18:14,910 --> 00:18:18,393 He's the keeper of Robert Wace's precious manuscript. 320 00:18:24,082 --> 00:18:26,999 (soft eerie music) 321 00:18:30,493 --> 00:18:34,160 (Peter speaking Old French) 322 00:18:57,126 --> 00:19:00,090 It's always exciting to see an original 323 00:19:00,090 --> 00:19:02,175 and exciting for me because this is a poem, 324 00:19:02,175 --> 00:19:05,970 you can see it's a poem from the way it's laid out. 325 00:19:05,970 --> 00:19:08,931 I can't really read it, my Old French is not too hot, 326 00:19:08,931 --> 00:19:13,080 in fact, some people say my English isn't great either, 327 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:16,468 but I can make out references in the poem. 328 00:19:16,468 --> 00:19:19,510 I can see Arthur's name popping up here 329 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:22,315 and mention of the Round Table, 330 00:19:22,315 --> 00:19:26,430 in fact, the first ever reference to the Round Table 331 00:19:26,430 --> 00:19:27,903 in Arthurian literature. 332 00:19:29,049 --> 00:19:31,893 The rhyming couplets are pretty clear. 333 00:19:33,127 --> 00:19:36,093 "Arthur da-dee-da-dee-da-dee-da Table, 334 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:39,690 da-dee-da-dee-da-dee-da fable." 335 00:19:39,690 --> 00:19:43,230 It just makes me think of the stamina needed 336 00:19:43,230 --> 00:19:46,260 for a task like this, some huge work in rhyming couplets 337 00:19:46,260 --> 00:19:48,690 and suddenly you're confronted with finding a rhyme 338 00:19:48,690 --> 00:19:52,380 for Round Table once again, and you've used fable already 339 00:19:52,380 --> 00:19:55,270 and where do you go from there? 340 00:19:55,270 --> 00:19:58,590 I'd be trying to get in the Tower of Babel 341 00:19:58,590 --> 00:20:01,263 in there, I think, or Auntie Mabel. 342 00:20:03,630 --> 00:20:07,612 Robert Wace's mention of the Round Table was inspired. 343 00:20:07,612 --> 00:20:10,440 These two words were to change the course 344 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:12,795 of the Arthurian legend forever. 345 00:20:12,795 --> 00:20:15,526 (haunting orchestral music) 346 00:20:15,526 --> 00:20:19,560 Poets and writers from across Europe saw the opportunity 347 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,716 to create wonderful tales that focus not on Arthur, 348 00:20:23,716 --> 00:20:27,333 but on the quests of the Knights who sat at the Round Table. 349 00:20:28,205 --> 00:20:31,872 (haunting orchestral music) 350 00:20:34,575 --> 00:20:37,586 I'm heading back to Wales, hot on the tracks 351 00:20:37,586 --> 00:20:41,982 of the most famous and daring of all Arthurian quests. 352 00:20:41,982 --> 00:20:45,649 (dramatic orchestral music) 353 00:20:50,574 --> 00:20:53,898 It's a quest taken up by the Welsh Knight, Percival, 354 00:20:53,898 --> 00:20:56,220 who leaves the court of King Arthur 355 00:20:56,220 --> 00:21:00,264 and sets out in search of the Holy Grail, 356 00:21:00,264 --> 00:21:04,143 the humble cup that Christ drank from at the Last Supper. 357 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,813 The tale captivated medieval readers across Christendom. 358 00:21:12,630 --> 00:21:15,478 Presumably, these knights of the road are unaware 359 00:21:15,478 --> 00:21:18,750 that Al & Glo's Diner on the A40, 360 00:21:18,750 --> 00:21:21,643 sits on a sacred route of pilgrimage 361 00:21:21,643 --> 00:21:25,952 to what is believed to be the true Holy Grail. 362 00:21:25,952 --> 00:21:29,535 (melodic orchestral music) 363 00:21:33,335 --> 00:21:36,453 Many people think the Holy Grail still exists. 364 00:21:37,590 --> 00:21:38,733 The story is this. 365 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,330 After the death and resurrection of Jesus, 366 00:21:42,330 --> 00:21:44,340 Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain 367 00:21:44,340 --> 00:21:46,180 and brought the Holy Grail with him 368 00:21:47,070 --> 00:21:49,920 and he left it at Glastonbury when he died. 369 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:52,380 It stayed there until 1539, 370 00:21:52,380 --> 00:21:55,401 when Henry VIII's men came to sack that abbey 371 00:21:55,401 --> 00:21:58,289 and then the abbot ordered the monks to flee 372 00:21:58,289 --> 00:22:02,865 with the precious cup into Wales and here the cup stayed. 373 00:22:02,865 --> 00:22:04,710 (melodic orchestral music) 374 00:22:04,710 --> 00:22:07,590 [Simon] The cup fell into the hands of the Powell family 375 00:22:07,590 --> 00:22:12,120 who kept it at their home, Nanteos Mansion for 400 years 376 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:15,387 until the estate was broken up in the 1950s. 377 00:22:15,387 --> 00:22:18,300 [Presenter] Mrs. Bliss, you live here now, 378 00:22:18,300 --> 00:22:21,240 but when you were a child, you knew this house as a visitor? 379 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:22,073 Yes. 380 00:22:22,073 --> 00:22:23,790 [Presenter] Did you ever see the cup itself? 381 00:22:23,790 --> 00:22:24,908 Yes, I did. 382 00:22:24,908 --> 00:22:27,450 Do people still come to see it? 383 00:22:27,450 --> 00:22:28,770 Oh yes, they do, 384 00:22:28,770 --> 00:22:31,050 but unfortunately we have to send them away, 385 00:22:31,050 --> 00:22:33,753 because we no longer have the Cup of Nanteos. 386 00:22:33,753 --> 00:22:36,480 [Presenter] Do people come from a long way away to see it? 387 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:38,910 [Mrs. Bliss] Yes, they do, a lot of people from abroad, 388 00:22:38,910 --> 00:22:42,943 America, Italy, they've heard of the Nanteos Cup. 389 00:22:44,175 --> 00:22:48,077 I haven't been allowed to see, leave alone film the Grail 390 00:22:48,077 --> 00:22:52,230 or the Cup as it is in its present resting place. 391 00:22:52,230 --> 00:22:55,654 But there are many, many stories of miraculous cures 392 00:22:55,654 --> 00:22:58,986 brought about by drinking from the Nanteos Cup. 393 00:22:58,986 --> 00:23:00,809 (soft ethereal choir music) 394 00:23:00,809 --> 00:23:03,450 When the Powells left Nanteos, 395 00:23:03,450 --> 00:23:06,063 the whereabouts of the Grail became a mystery. 396 00:23:08,190 --> 00:23:10,646 But I've tracked down one of the last descendants 397 00:23:10,646 --> 00:23:13,263 of the once great Powell dynasty. 398 00:23:14,818 --> 00:23:17,700 She lives alone at a secret address 399 00:23:17,700 --> 00:23:20,253 with only her pekinese dogs for company. 400 00:23:21,780 --> 00:23:24,330 It's she who must shoulder the burden 401 00:23:24,330 --> 00:23:25,930 of guarding the Holy Grail. 402 00:23:25,930 --> 00:23:27,135 (Simon knocking) 403 00:23:27,135 --> 00:23:30,802 (soft ethereal choir music) 404 00:23:32,664 --> 00:23:33,780 (door clicking) 405 00:23:33,780 --> 00:23:34,883 -Oh, welcome. -Hello. 406 00:23:34,883 --> 00:23:37,230 Welcome to the home of the Grail. 407 00:23:37,230 --> 00:23:39,210 -Pleased to meet you. -Hi, nice to meet you. 408 00:23:39,210 --> 00:23:40,624 I've got you a little prezzie. 409 00:23:40,624 --> 00:23:42,412 I got you some Welsh daffodils. (laughing) 410 00:23:42,412 --> 00:23:44,382 Oh, thank you very much, thank you. 411 00:23:44,382 --> 00:23:46,091 [Simon] It's a pleasure. Can I come in? 412 00:23:46,091 --> 00:23:47,340 -Yes. -(dogs barking) 413 00:23:47,340 --> 00:23:48,803 [Simon] Thank you very much. 414 00:23:50,490 --> 00:23:52,946 Fiona, I'm on the trail of the Holy Grail. 415 00:23:52,946 --> 00:23:56,460 [Fiona] Oh right, you've come a long way. 416 00:23:56,460 --> 00:23:58,624 First of all, I had to go through huge trials 417 00:23:58,624 --> 00:24:00,794 and tribulations to eventually see the Grail. 418 00:24:00,794 --> 00:24:01,831 Yes. 419 00:24:01,831 --> 00:24:03,840 Should that be the way it is now? 420 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:07,353 Should people have to overcome the same obstacles- 421 00:24:07,353 --> 00:24:08,340 [Fiona] Yes. 422 00:24:08,340 --> 00:24:10,020 To be able to achieve the Grail? 423 00:24:10,020 --> 00:24:14,190 Yes, you have to go through certain challenges 424 00:24:14,190 --> 00:24:16,953 to see the Grail, the real Grail. 425 00:24:16,953 --> 00:24:19,320 Quite a challenge for me finding your house. 426 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:20,970 I don't know whether that's the equivalent. 427 00:24:20,970 --> 00:24:24,000 Yes, yeah, I'm sure it was, yes. 428 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:28,470 And I see the road was dug up today as well, 429 00:24:28,470 --> 00:24:30,873 that was like Percival's challenge, 430 00:24:31,860 --> 00:24:34,545 I think it said "Road closed," yeah. 431 00:24:34,545 --> 00:24:36,780 And would you let anybody see the Grail? 432 00:24:36,780 --> 00:24:38,880 No, certainly not. 433 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:43,880 Nowadays, the world is quite a wicked and evil place 434 00:24:46,478 --> 00:24:49,150 and only the pure in heart find the Holy Grail. 435 00:24:49,150 --> 00:24:50,776 -Is that right? -Yes. 436 00:24:50,776 --> 00:24:53,910 [Simon] How do you think I'm fixed on that front? 437 00:24:53,910 --> 00:24:58,350 Yes, I think you look like someone who is pure in heart 438 00:24:58,350 --> 00:25:02,550 and you like poetry, which I like and literature. 439 00:25:02,550 --> 00:25:05,130 Well, I'm taking my heart in my mouth now, 440 00:25:05,130 --> 00:25:08,703 but I'm going to ask you, Fiona, can I see the Grail? 441 00:25:10,860 --> 00:25:13,693 I feel you are a person who should see the Grail, 442 00:25:13,693 --> 00:25:17,820 you've got the right spirit and the right faith. 443 00:25:17,820 --> 00:25:21,123 So I'll get it out and show it to you now. 444 00:25:24,737 --> 00:25:28,713 Right, we usually keep it in here for safety. 445 00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:32,430 [Simon] Before you show me this, Fiona, 446 00:25:32,430 --> 00:25:33,723 if what you're saying is true. 447 00:25:33,723 --> 00:25:34,650 Hm. 448 00:25:34,650 --> 00:25:36,870 What I'm going to to look at now 449 00:25:36,870 --> 00:25:39,930 is the actual vessel 450 00:25:39,930 --> 00:25:42,750 from which Christ drank at the Last Supper? 451 00:25:42,750 --> 00:25:44,190 It is the Holy Grail, 452 00:25:44,190 --> 00:25:48,720 that Jesus drank out of at the Last Supper, yes. 453 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,570 So we preserve it very carefully. 454 00:25:51,570 --> 00:25:53,488 It's always been in this box. 455 00:25:53,488 --> 00:25:54,933 Yeah. 456 00:25:56,172 --> 00:25:58,003 [Fiona] That's the glass bowl. 457 00:25:58,003 --> 00:25:59,700 [Simon] Right. 458 00:25:59,700 --> 00:26:01,569 Wow, it's seen better days. 459 00:26:01,569 --> 00:26:04,263 [Fiona] Yes, it's not much left now. 460 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,144 I mean, forgive me for sort of pointing out the obvious, 461 00:26:08,144 --> 00:26:10,110 has somebody had a bite out of this? 462 00:26:10,110 --> 00:26:12,103 [Fiona] Yes, yes, 463 00:26:12,103 --> 00:26:14,474 I think people did bite bits off it, yes. 464 00:26:14,474 --> 00:26:16,650 What, thinking that it would be good luck 465 00:26:16,650 --> 00:26:18,120 to swallow a bit or to- 466 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:22,767 Yes. But now, we don't let anyone even see or touch it. 467 00:26:22,767 --> 00:26:24,930 No, I'm not going to bite it, don't worry, no. 468 00:26:24,930 --> 00:26:25,763 No. 469 00:26:26,850 --> 00:26:28,694 I'll just turn it over. 470 00:26:28,694 --> 00:26:29,527 Okay. 471 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:33,393 Oh yeah, there's the base. 472 00:26:36,210 --> 00:26:38,940 And is it okay for me to pick that up? 473 00:26:38,940 --> 00:26:42,033 Or if you don't want me to, I won't, it's fine. 474 00:26:43,050 --> 00:26:45,266 If you just touch it with your hands, Simon. 475 00:26:45,266 --> 00:26:47,616 -Yeah, okay, okay, yeah. -Just say a prayer. 476 00:26:48,848 --> 00:26:51,437 [Simon] I mean, I want to thank you for showing me that, 477 00:26:51,437 --> 00:26:54,060 'cause I know it means a great deal to you. 478 00:26:54,060 --> 00:26:57,937 [Fiona] Yes, it does. I guard it with my life, yes. 479 00:26:57,937 --> 00:27:00,854 (soft piano music) 480 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:13,043 Well, I didn't hear hosts of golden angels, 481 00:27:13,043 --> 00:27:15,597 when I touched the Nanteos Cup 482 00:27:15,597 --> 00:27:18,515 and I don't think I feel any more enlightened, 483 00:27:18,515 --> 00:27:21,730 but it was quite humbling that Fiona would share with me 484 00:27:21,730 --> 00:27:25,266 something which was clearly so important to her. 485 00:27:25,266 --> 00:27:27,060 And it does remind me, 486 00:27:27,060 --> 00:27:29,181 that if you're prepared to let them be, 487 00:27:29,181 --> 00:27:33,330 these ancient stories can be very powerful 488 00:27:33,330 --> 00:27:35,610 and very persuasive. 489 00:27:35,610 --> 00:27:38,550 And it's quite fantastic really, that, you know, 490 00:27:38,550 --> 00:27:42,030 signs and symbols of these myths 491 00:27:42,030 --> 00:27:43,800 that started in the Dark Ages 492 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,320 and were written down almost 1,000 years ago, 493 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,300 should still be existing today 494 00:27:48,300 --> 00:27:51,633 in our contemporary newfangled world. 495 00:27:54,030 --> 00:27:57,663 (solemn orchestral music) 496 00:27:57,663 --> 00:28:00,840 You may have noticed something in this story. 497 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,150 Arthur has all but disappeared, 498 00:28:03,150 --> 00:28:05,763 eclipsed by his more courageous knights. 499 00:28:06,957 --> 00:28:11,253 But for the king, things were about to get much worse. 500 00:28:12,226 --> 00:28:15,809 (cheerful accordion music) 501 00:28:23,023 --> 00:28:26,023 (singing in French) 502 00:28:34,110 --> 00:28:36,565 The Arthurian tales were the literary sensation 503 00:28:36,565 --> 00:28:39,900 of the Middle Ages and they became a common language 504 00:28:39,900 --> 00:28:41,970 among all the people of Europe. 505 00:28:41,970 --> 00:28:46,970 -(cheerful accordion music) -(singing in French) 506 00:28:47,220 --> 00:28:48,960 As the stories seep deeper 507 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,540 into the culture of medieval France, 508 00:28:51,540 --> 00:28:53,070 King Arthur would fall victim 509 00:28:53,070 --> 00:28:56,485 to the whims and fancy of French writers. 510 00:28:56,485 --> 00:29:01,485 -(cheerful accordion music) -(singing in French) 511 00:29:03,465 --> 00:29:06,337 We might think of France as a foreign country, 512 00:29:06,337 --> 00:29:09,780 the old enemy even, but during the 12th century, 513 00:29:09,780 --> 00:29:12,990 parts of Britain and parts of France were the same kingdom 514 00:29:12,990 --> 00:29:15,611 with shared monarchs and a shared culture. 515 00:29:15,611 --> 00:29:17,670 So there were no border controls 516 00:29:17,670 --> 00:29:19,620 as far as literature was concerned, 517 00:29:19,620 --> 00:29:22,233 and no immigration checks for its characters. 518 00:29:23,370 --> 00:29:26,220 The hand of the French writers was reaching out 519 00:29:26,220 --> 00:29:30,502 towards our Arthur and he was about to go all "Ooh, la la!" 520 00:29:30,502 --> 00:29:35,502 -(bright guitar music) -(singing in French) 521 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:41,850 [Simon] It was here around Provins, 522 00:29:41,850 --> 00:29:44,425 60 or so miles southeast of Paris, 523 00:29:44,425 --> 00:29:48,733 that the Arthurian tale was about to take this new turn. 524 00:29:48,733 --> 00:29:52,427 -(bright guitar music) -(singing in French) 525 00:29:52,427 --> 00:29:56,160 The French writers decided to spice up the legend 526 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:58,462 with a soupcon of sex. 527 00:29:58,462 --> 00:30:00,923 -(bright guitar music) -(singing in French) 528 00:30:00,923 --> 00:30:04,950 And the sauciest of them all was a wandering minstrel 529 00:30:04,950 --> 00:30:07,537 named Chretien de Troyes. 530 00:30:07,537 --> 00:30:12,537 -(light melodic music) -(poet speaking French) 531 00:30:25,992 --> 00:30:28,512 (soft eerie music) 532 00:30:28,512 --> 00:30:30,996 (light melodic music) 533 00:30:30,996 --> 00:30:33,020 (background people chattering) 534 00:30:33,020 --> 00:30:35,580 We tend to think of authors these days 535 00:30:35,580 --> 00:30:39,180 as people who write whatever they want, whenever they want 536 00:30:39,180 --> 00:30:41,580 and long may it be so. 537 00:30:41,580 --> 00:30:43,128 But back in Chretien's time, 538 00:30:43,128 --> 00:30:46,931 they were often little more than jobbing tradespeople, 539 00:30:46,931 --> 00:30:50,460 people who would kneel at the feet of their patrons 540 00:30:50,460 --> 00:30:53,640 and produce work according to the needs 541 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:58,640 and desires of the day, sometimes for the royal family. 542 00:30:58,710 --> 00:30:59,931 Imagine that. 543 00:30:59,931 --> 00:31:04,931 -(soft orchestral music) -(birds chirping) 544 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:10,140 Chretien was writing at the service of his great patron, 545 00:31:10,140 --> 00:31:12,093 the Countess Marie de Champagne. 546 00:31:14,430 --> 00:31:17,740 At her court, Marie demanded refined manners 547 00:31:18,990 --> 00:31:21,753 and utter devotion from her male subjects. 548 00:31:24,568 --> 00:31:29,313 This kind of behavior became known as courtly love. 549 00:31:32,146 --> 00:31:35,310 At the medieval Rose Garden in Provins, 550 00:31:35,310 --> 00:31:39,243 the ideals of courtly love are alive in Claudine Glot. 551 00:31:41,100 --> 00:31:44,490 If I wanted to practice courtly love, 552 00:31:44,490 --> 00:31:47,430 what kind of things would I need to learn? 553 00:31:47,430 --> 00:31:49,203 You must be proud, 554 00:31:51,060 --> 00:31:53,790 generous, full of charity. 555 00:31:53,790 --> 00:31:56,310 You must have a great valor in yourself 556 00:31:56,310 --> 00:31:58,274 and you must do wonderful things. 557 00:31:58,274 --> 00:32:00,992 You have to be elegant, clever, well clothed. 558 00:32:00,992 --> 00:32:03,570 You have to have excellent manners 559 00:32:03,570 --> 00:32:07,020 and you have to accept to do everything 560 00:32:07,020 --> 00:32:08,439 your lady ask you to do. 561 00:32:08,439 --> 00:32:10,440 [Simon] Quite a challenge. 562 00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,380 A big challenge and a full life challenge. 563 00:32:13,380 --> 00:32:15,120 So in that world, 564 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:19,860 in the world of Arthur and the Round Table, 565 00:32:19,860 --> 00:32:24,860 courtly love would be the most noble moral code, would it? 566 00:32:24,950 --> 00:32:27,800 It is, it's a big fight in this, 567 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:31,710 in these Arthurian books and Arthurian texts 568 00:32:31,710 --> 00:32:34,890 because we still have the old chivalric codes 569 00:32:34,890 --> 00:32:38,127 and we have this new story with this new way of life, 570 00:32:38,127 --> 00:32:43,127 which is in court and Chretien de Troyes put them, 571 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:47,673 court's courtly love at such a high level. 572 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:53,217 In 2010, if I started practicing courtly love, 573 00:32:53,217 --> 00:32:56,400 do you think that that would be appreciated by women, 574 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,400 or do you think they would just think I was insane? 575 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:01,380 No, I think it would be appreciated, 576 00:33:01,380 --> 00:33:04,560 because you know, we are at a moment where all the books, 577 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,050 all the magazines are full of sex, sex, sex 578 00:33:07,050 --> 00:33:08,280 and maybe it's too much. 579 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,372 We're not only sex machines, you know. 580 00:33:10,372 --> 00:33:11,451 (both laughing) 581 00:33:11,451 --> 00:33:14,483 (soft orchestral music) 582 00:33:14,483 --> 00:33:18,480 It was Chretien who brought the ideals of courtly love 583 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,043 into the legend of King Arthur. 584 00:33:22,380 --> 00:33:25,968 But in his hands, Arthur is barely recognizable. 585 00:33:25,968 --> 00:33:29,551 (melodic orchestral music) 586 00:33:41,910 --> 00:33:45,039 Chretien opens his story at the court of Camelot, 587 00:33:45,039 --> 00:33:48,681 perhaps inspired by this building, the Tour Cesar, 588 00:33:48,681 --> 00:33:52,383 which Chretien would've known well as he began to write. 589 00:33:56,550 --> 00:33:58,887 We first find King Arthur luxuriating 590 00:33:58,887 --> 00:34:01,290 with his queen, Guinevere, 591 00:34:01,290 --> 00:34:05,512 but this Arthur is not the courageous hero you might expect. 592 00:34:05,512 --> 00:34:08,845 (soft orchestral music) 593 00:34:14,670 --> 00:34:17,610 One day, a stranger arrives at court 594 00:34:17,610 --> 00:34:20,760 taunting Arthur about his lack of power and wealth 595 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:24,030 and claiming to be holding some of Arthur's people. 596 00:34:24,030 --> 00:34:28,590 So as part of a medieval hostage exchange program, 597 00:34:28,590 --> 00:34:31,140 Arthur rather meekly allows Guinevere 598 00:34:31,140 --> 00:34:33,000 to be taken off into the forest 599 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:36,390 and it will need somebody more manly and handsome 600 00:34:36,390 --> 00:34:38,883 than Arthur to rescue Guinevere, 601 00:34:39,900 --> 00:34:41,481 enter Lancelot. 602 00:34:41,481 --> 00:34:44,981 (solemn orchestral music) 603 00:34:47,460 --> 00:34:51,360 Lancelot is perhaps Chretien's greatest invention 604 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:55,173 and outshines all the other knights, even Arthur himself. 605 00:35:00,240 --> 00:35:04,443 Needless to say, he's a Frenchman oozing Gallic charm. 606 00:35:05,747 --> 00:35:08,940 And when he falls for Queen Guinevere, 607 00:35:08,940 --> 00:35:11,253 you can't help but fear the worst. 608 00:35:13,050 --> 00:35:16,500 It's the sight of a golden strand of hair caught in a comb 609 00:35:16,500 --> 00:35:19,331 that first sets Lancelot's heart racing 610 00:35:19,331 --> 00:35:21,720 and their swooning and fainting 611 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:24,760 and heartbreak and histrionics, all this 612 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:29,011 and the couple have barely spoken, let alone kissed. 613 00:35:29,011 --> 00:35:32,511 (solemn orchestral music) 614 00:35:36,660 --> 00:35:40,293 Lancelot fights to reach the imprisoned Queen Guinevere, 615 00:35:42,490 --> 00:35:45,750 and in Chretien's story of courtly love, 616 00:35:45,750 --> 00:35:47,998 there can only be one ending. 617 00:35:47,998 --> 00:35:51,331 (soft orchestral music) 618 00:35:54,750 --> 00:35:56,313 Love must have its way. 619 00:35:57,390 --> 00:36:00,030 And one night, Lancelot steals through an orchard 620 00:36:00,030 --> 00:36:02,847 towards where Guinevere is sleeping. 621 00:36:02,847 --> 00:36:06,720 He bends back the bars at the window with his bare hands 622 00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:09,273 and he lays with Guinevere until dawn. 623 00:36:12,492 --> 00:36:13,892 (church bells chiming) 624 00:36:13,892 --> 00:36:17,142 (poet speaking French) 625 00:36:38,463 --> 00:36:43,463 -(church bells chiming) -(wind blowing) 626 00:36:44,253 --> 00:36:46,990 It's quite shocking to read that adultery scene, 627 00:36:46,990 --> 00:36:49,175 it's quite a racy passage in the book, 628 00:36:49,175 --> 00:36:51,270 and I suppose in modern terms, you could say 629 00:36:51,270 --> 00:36:53,987 that Chretien takes it all the way. 630 00:36:53,987 --> 00:36:58,410 It leaves Arthur cuckolded and emasculated. 631 00:36:58,410 --> 00:37:02,400 It's as if Lancelot hasn't just stolen his wife, 632 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:04,263 he's stolen the story. 633 00:37:04,263 --> 00:37:07,159 -(melodic pop music) -(singing in French) 634 00:37:07,159 --> 00:37:08,910 [Simon] It would be 200 years 635 00:37:08,910 --> 00:37:12,019 before a poem restored Arthur's reputation, 636 00:37:12,019 --> 00:37:15,005 a poem him written much closer to home. 637 00:37:15,005 --> 00:37:20,005 -(melodic pop music) -(singing in French) 638 00:37:21,442 --> 00:37:23,494 -Come on, Albion! -Get a goal! 639 00:37:23,494 --> 00:37:28,077 (football fans shouting encouragement) 640 00:37:29,456 --> 00:37:30,623 Go on, boys! 641 00:37:31,469 --> 00:37:35,470 (footballers and fans shouting) 642 00:37:35,470 --> 00:37:38,520 [Simon] It's now the 14th century. 643 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:40,593 England is at war with France. 644 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:45,270 England is a new sovereign nation 645 00:37:45,270 --> 00:37:46,770 fighting for her independence. 646 00:37:47,779 --> 00:37:50,182 -Come on, Albion! -(football fans groaning) 647 00:37:50,182 --> 00:37:52,110 [Simon] Out of this atmosphere 648 00:37:52,110 --> 00:37:53,532 came a new patriotic spirit, 649 00:37:53,532 --> 00:37:56,280 -(trumpet tooting) -(football fans shouting) 650 00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:59,466 a spirit reflected in the emergence of the English language, 651 00:37:59,466 --> 00:38:02,883 (football fans shouting) 652 00:38:03,758 --> 00:38:06,420 Poems and songs were written down in English 653 00:38:06,420 --> 00:38:10,830 for the first time and for me, one of the best 654 00:38:10,830 --> 00:38:15,830 is an anonymous epic poem known by its unsexy academic title 655 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:18,498 as the "Alliterative Morte Arthure." 656 00:38:18,498 --> 00:38:20,910 (muffled announcer speaking) 657 00:38:20,910 --> 00:38:24,480 French and Latin were the established literary languages 658 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:26,610 of the day and nearly all Arthurian literature 659 00:38:26,610 --> 00:38:29,095 was presented in those languages. 660 00:38:29,095 --> 00:38:31,320 But this was a poem written 661 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:33,442 in the emerging English language. 662 00:38:33,442 --> 00:38:37,291 I suppose by comparison, it was a little bit minor league. 663 00:38:37,291 --> 00:38:42,128 There's something a little bit subversive about it as well 664 00:38:42,128 --> 00:38:45,000 and northern, in fact, some people go as far as to say 665 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,610 that the poem was probably written by somebody 666 00:38:47,610 --> 00:38:50,687 from West Yorkshire with a West Yorkshire dialect. 667 00:38:50,687 --> 00:38:53,130 -(football fans shouting) -Go on! 668 00:38:53,130 --> 00:38:54,957 Well played, lad, go on! 669 00:38:56,181 --> 00:38:57,014 No! 670 00:38:58,305 --> 00:38:59,562 The ball! 671 00:38:59,562 --> 00:39:02,973 [Reader] Sir Arthur's army set eyes on the enemy, 672 00:39:03,900 --> 00:39:06,600 shoved forward their shields 673 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:08,493 and shunt further delay, 674 00:39:09,330 --> 00:39:13,000 shooting forward at the fore with fierce eye shouts 675 00:39:13,860 --> 00:39:16,277 and battering through the bright bucklers at the warriors." 676 00:39:17,597 --> 00:39:21,597 (footballers and fans shouting) 677 00:39:22,861 --> 00:39:25,560 This is a very different Arthur 678 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:27,902 emerging through the English poems. 679 00:39:27,902 --> 00:39:29,460 In the French literature, 680 00:39:29,460 --> 00:39:32,386 he was a marginalized character, really, 681 00:39:32,386 --> 00:39:35,610 I suppose a gentleman concerned with etiquette 682 00:39:35,610 --> 00:39:39,450 and courtly love, but pushed slightly to one side. 683 00:39:39,450 --> 00:39:43,140 Here, he's at the very center of everything that's going on. 684 00:39:43,140 --> 00:39:46,740 He's a national hero, he's a ruler at home 685 00:39:46,740 --> 00:39:48,189 and he's a conqueror abroad. 686 00:39:48,189 --> 00:39:51,977 He's gonna make the whole world bow to his whim. 687 00:39:51,977 --> 00:39:55,310 (soft orchestral music) 688 00:39:58,065 --> 00:39:59,823 Arthur had come home. 689 00:40:03,147 --> 00:40:06,570 But it would take a true masterpiece of English literature 690 00:40:06,570 --> 00:40:10,143 to establish him as the great national hero we know today. 691 00:40:14,889 --> 00:40:17,972 (soft melodic music) 692 00:40:21,393 --> 00:40:24,302 "You're well-bred and refined. 693 00:40:24,302 --> 00:40:26,550 You did your stint in the army 694 00:40:26,550 --> 00:40:28,653 and inherited the family estate. 695 00:40:30,180 --> 00:40:33,600 It's true you've had a privileged life, 696 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:36,663 but at heart, you're an unsavory character. 697 00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:40,680 Only you know why you did it, 698 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:43,486 robbery, rape and murder." 699 00:40:43,486 --> 00:40:46,740 (soft melodic music) 700 00:40:46,740 --> 00:40:48,900 It was around 1450, 701 00:40:48,900 --> 00:40:52,260 while awaiting trial for his heinous misdeeds 702 00:40:52,260 --> 00:40:54,510 that Sir Thomas Mallory was locked up 703 00:40:54,510 --> 00:40:56,488 in the Tower of London. 704 00:40:56,488 --> 00:40:59,571 (soft melodic music) 705 00:41:01,590 --> 00:41:03,978 To say that Mallory had led a colorful life 706 00:41:03,978 --> 00:41:06,630 is a bit of an understatement. 707 00:41:06,630 --> 00:41:09,540 He'd enjoyed power, rank, and privilege on the one hand, 708 00:41:09,540 --> 00:41:12,713 on the other hand, he'd been a notorious criminal 709 00:41:12,713 --> 00:41:15,450 living the life of a fugitive. 710 00:41:15,450 --> 00:41:18,077 But all that would come to an abrupt halt 711 00:41:18,077 --> 00:41:20,370 with his incarceration here. 712 00:41:20,370 --> 00:41:22,410 From now on, Mallory's days 713 00:41:22,410 --> 00:41:25,803 would be spent in enforced contemplation. 714 00:41:30,030 --> 00:41:32,460 It was during his years of imprisonment 715 00:41:32,460 --> 00:41:36,316 that Sir Thomas Mallory first started to write. 716 00:41:36,316 --> 00:41:38,899 (raven cawing) 717 00:41:42,390 --> 00:41:46,227 Mallory wasn't a writer at all until his imprisonment here. 718 00:41:46,227 --> 00:41:50,070 But with books at his disposal, with stories in his memories 719 00:41:50,070 --> 00:41:52,920 and with frankly lots of time on his hands, 720 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:56,790 he threw himself into this hugely ambitious project. 721 00:41:56,790 --> 00:41:59,385 He set about writing a coherent 722 00:41:59,385 --> 00:42:03,390 and compelling version of the Arthur story. 723 00:42:03,390 --> 00:42:06,601 And he couldn't have foreseen it, but it would become 724 00:42:06,601 --> 00:42:10,560 one of the great masterpieces of English literature 725 00:42:10,560 --> 00:42:13,650 and would fix King Arthur in the imagination 726 00:42:13,650 --> 00:42:16,413 of the British people for centuries to come. 727 00:42:18,275 --> 00:42:21,136 -(soft tense music) -(clock ticking) 728 00:42:21,136 --> 00:42:23,250 There are very few people in the world 729 00:42:23,250 --> 00:42:26,463 who can truly appreciate Mallory's achievement, 730 00:42:28,020 --> 00:42:29,886 but the author, Erwin James, 731 00:42:29,886 --> 00:42:34,023 who also began his writing career in prison is one of them. 732 00:42:34,965 --> 00:42:37,181 -(soft tense music) -(clock ticking) 733 00:42:37,181 --> 00:42:40,140 I was living on the fringes of society, 734 00:42:40,140 --> 00:42:43,380 smashing windows, getting drunk, getting into fights, 735 00:42:43,380 --> 00:42:45,690 total directionless behavior. 736 00:42:45,690 --> 00:42:47,726 I just became worse, I met this chap, 737 00:42:47,726 --> 00:42:49,950 we were living in a squat, basically. 738 00:42:49,950 --> 00:42:52,170 We'd go out together committing grubby crimes 739 00:42:52,170 --> 00:42:54,330 like, I don't know, breaking into cars, 740 00:42:54,330 --> 00:42:56,132 doing pathetic things really. 741 00:42:56,132 --> 00:42:59,790 And ultimately, we ended up being involved 742 00:42:59,790 --> 00:43:02,130 in two murders, two robberies, 743 00:43:02,130 --> 00:43:04,470 two ordinary people lost their lives 744 00:43:04,470 --> 00:43:07,024 because of me and my co-accused. 745 00:43:07,024 --> 00:43:09,960 And because I was locked up in Wandsworth my first year, 746 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:12,723 just locked up in a cell 23 hours a day, 747 00:43:13,590 --> 00:43:15,929 six books a week from the prison library, 748 00:43:15,929 --> 00:43:18,363 bucket in the corner for my toilet, 749 00:43:19,329 --> 00:43:22,057 and lots of time to think, you know. 750 00:43:22,057 --> 00:43:24,210 [Simon] And at what stage then 751 00:43:24,210 --> 00:43:27,270 did writing become important to you 752 00:43:27,270 --> 00:43:28,890 or even reading before that? 753 00:43:28,890 --> 00:43:31,170 Well, reading, I was literate, you know, 754 00:43:31,170 --> 00:43:32,760 in many ways, I had the edge 755 00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:35,550 on a lot of my fellow prisoners in some way, 756 00:43:35,550 --> 00:43:37,980 'cause I was literate, I mean, I was barely literate. 757 00:43:37,980 --> 00:43:40,841 I mean, I wasn't educated, but I could read 758 00:43:40,841 --> 00:43:44,351 and I could write a bit, you know, I could write a letter, 759 00:43:44,351 --> 00:43:46,906 but they weren't particular strengths. 760 00:43:46,906 --> 00:43:48,614 Did you read Mallory in prison 761 00:43:48,614 --> 00:43:51,900 and do you remember what you thought of it at the time? 762 00:43:51,900 --> 00:43:53,606 I mean, when initially, I read it, 763 00:43:53,606 --> 00:43:55,920 I couldn't imagine that this person who had written, 764 00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:58,410 you know, this classic thing that everybody knows about, 765 00:43:58,410 --> 00:44:00,870 this story of Arthur and all these legends 766 00:44:00,870 --> 00:44:03,570 was sort of conjured up and made palatable 767 00:44:03,570 --> 00:44:05,370 by this person in a prison cell, 768 00:44:05,370 --> 00:44:10,370 who also had the opprobrium of his community. 769 00:44:11,700 --> 00:44:14,400 And you know, it took me a while to really accept 770 00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:17,190 that this was somebody who was in prison that did this. 771 00:44:17,190 --> 00:44:18,300 But once he started, 772 00:44:18,300 --> 00:44:20,605 he could probably see this great tapestry 773 00:44:20,605 --> 00:44:22,682 stretching out before him, you know. 774 00:44:22,682 --> 00:44:25,710 When you're locked up and you're isolated, 775 00:44:25,710 --> 00:44:28,050 your imagination is unbelievable, you know, 776 00:44:28,050 --> 00:44:30,030 'cause in prison, you spend most of your time in your head. 777 00:44:30,030 --> 00:44:31,920 But of course for Mallory, 778 00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:35,880 he was creating an amazing environment 779 00:44:35,880 --> 00:44:38,111 populated with these great characters. 780 00:44:38,111 --> 00:44:40,680 One thing that I think is very winning in Mallory 781 00:44:40,680 --> 00:44:43,907 is the way that he keeps addressing you, the reader. 782 00:44:43,907 --> 00:44:46,860 He's always telling you about his predicament 783 00:44:46,860 --> 00:44:48,980 and he asks for deliverance. 784 00:44:48,980 --> 00:44:51,000 Do you think that the writing 785 00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:53,619 is a redemptive act in that sense? 786 00:44:53,619 --> 00:44:55,560 I mean, that's a really good point, 787 00:44:55,560 --> 00:45:00,560 because I wonder if Mallory did have some sense of remorse. 788 00:45:00,625 --> 00:45:04,519 You know, remorse is a great driver. 789 00:45:04,519 --> 00:45:07,436 (soft eerie music) 790 00:45:08,295 --> 00:45:10,953 [Erwin] "This was drawn by a knight prisoner, 791 00:45:12,060 --> 00:45:14,967 Sir Thomas Mallory, and I pray you all 792 00:45:14,967 --> 00:45:18,333 that readeth this tale to pray for him, 793 00:45:19,317 --> 00:45:21,370 that God send him good recovery 794 00:45:24,421 --> 00:45:25,473 soon and hastily. 795 00:45:27,408 --> 00:45:28,347 Amen." 796 00:45:30,631 --> 00:45:32,970 That's Mallory speaking, 797 00:45:32,970 --> 00:45:35,013 wanting to make his peace with us. 798 00:45:36,828 --> 00:45:40,353 But his work has a wider resonance than his own redemption. 799 00:45:42,035 --> 00:45:44,850 He wrote during the War of the Roses, 800 00:45:44,850 --> 00:45:47,163 the civil war that had divided England. 801 00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:50,820 In the legend of King Arthur, 802 00:45:50,820 --> 00:45:54,030 he saw a parable for his own fractured times 803 00:45:54,030 --> 00:45:55,380 and his book is dominated 804 00:45:55,380 --> 00:45:58,266 by the themes of loyalty and unity. 805 00:45:58,266 --> 00:46:01,349 (soft melodic music) 806 00:46:06,330 --> 00:46:08,427 It's called "Le Morte d'Arthur." 807 00:46:10,650 --> 00:46:13,110 It tells the story of Arthur's death 808 00:46:13,110 --> 00:46:17,010 and this is the landscape of the king's last stand. 809 00:46:17,010 --> 00:46:19,927 (soft piano music) 810 00:46:21,780 --> 00:46:23,918 I can't imagine that these landscapes 811 00:46:23,918 --> 00:46:26,640 have changed that much in several hundred years, 812 00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:28,173 apart from the odd B road. 813 00:46:29,340 --> 00:46:34,340 It's still largely empty, unoccupied, 814 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:38,343 and I think to any writer, that offers a blank canvas. 815 00:46:41,106 --> 00:46:43,733 And you can imagine Mallory in his cell 816 00:46:43,733 --> 00:46:47,370 in all that confinement and claustrophobia 817 00:46:47,370 --> 00:46:49,733 thinking about this wide expanse 818 00:46:49,733 --> 00:46:54,512 and dreaming of filling it with charging knights 819 00:46:54,512 --> 00:46:56,523 and storming soldiers. 820 00:47:00,263 --> 00:47:02,790 To journey through this landscape 821 00:47:02,790 --> 00:47:05,667 is to understand the meaning of Mallory's masterpiece 822 00:47:05,667 --> 00:47:08,161 and to understand why "Le Morte d'Arthur" 823 00:47:08,161 --> 00:47:11,673 is one of the jewels in the crown of English literature. 824 00:47:12,916 --> 00:47:15,499 (wind blowing) 825 00:47:19,875 --> 00:47:21,263 (artillery firing) 826 00:47:21,263 --> 00:47:25,800 The beginning of the end finds Arthur away fighting Lancelot 827 00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:28,323 to avenge him for sleeping with Guinevere. 828 00:47:29,826 --> 00:47:31,230 (artillery exploding) 829 00:47:31,230 --> 00:47:35,163 But news reaches him of trouble back home at Camelot. 830 00:47:35,163 --> 00:47:38,070 (tense orchestral music) 831 00:47:38,070 --> 00:47:41,880 Arthur's son, Mordred has betrayed his father 832 00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:43,323 and taken the throne. 833 00:47:44,427 --> 00:47:46,933 Denied vengeance against Lancelot, 834 00:47:46,933 --> 00:47:50,460 Arthur must instead begin the long march back 835 00:47:50,460 --> 00:47:52,173 to do battle with Mordred. 836 00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:00,120 I'm striding along a tank track 837 00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:02,570 on MOD land on Salisbury Plain, 838 00:48:02,570 --> 00:48:06,483 which is where Mallory located the last great battle, 839 00:48:07,410 --> 00:48:10,352 and it's still a place full of danger. 840 00:48:10,352 --> 00:48:13,740 One of those places on the map with nothing in it 841 00:48:13,740 --> 00:48:16,140 and Keep Out signs all around the edge. 842 00:48:16,140 --> 00:48:17,430 It's also one of those places 843 00:48:17,430 --> 00:48:20,520 where the noise of weaponry is never far away 844 00:48:20,520 --> 00:48:24,480 and where warfare is still being practiced and perfected. 845 00:48:24,480 --> 00:48:27,132 So to my mind, it's the perfect place 846 00:48:27,132 --> 00:48:29,793 to be thinking about Arthur's last stand. 847 00:48:30,649 --> 00:48:33,566 (artillery firing) 848 00:48:34,827 --> 00:48:37,994 (artillery exploding) 849 00:48:39,720 --> 00:48:43,140 The stage is set, but before giving battle, 850 00:48:43,140 --> 00:48:46,327 the armies set up camp to rest for the night. 851 00:48:46,327 --> 00:48:49,744 (soft suspenseful music) 852 00:48:57,870 --> 00:49:00,889 This is Copehill Down, the artificial village 853 00:49:00,889 --> 00:49:04,443 where the British Army practice urban warfare. 854 00:49:09,450 --> 00:49:11,970 It's a lonely and haunting place, 855 00:49:11,970 --> 00:49:15,630 evoking the vision of desolation that King Arthur sees 856 00:49:15,630 --> 00:49:17,952 as he drifts off to sleep. 857 00:49:17,952 --> 00:49:21,369 (soft suspenseful music) 858 00:49:23,640 --> 00:49:26,430 Arthur dreams of fortune's wheel, 859 00:49:26,430 --> 00:49:28,900 it's a kind of metaphysical Ferris wheel. 860 00:49:28,900 --> 00:49:30,990 It takes Arthur right up to the top 861 00:49:30,990 --> 00:49:32,460 and then tips him out of the seat 862 00:49:32,460 --> 00:49:36,030 into a pond full of serpents and and worms. 863 00:49:36,030 --> 00:49:39,420 It's a prophecy of doom and the significance 864 00:49:39,420 --> 00:49:42,600 is that Arthur has reached the very pinnacle of his powers 865 00:49:42,600 --> 00:49:45,453 and the only direction to go after that is down. 866 00:49:47,594 --> 00:49:50,940 It's a reoccurring scene in Arthurian literature, 867 00:49:50,940 --> 00:49:53,520 but Mallory, the master craftsman, 868 00:49:53,520 --> 00:49:56,340 heightens it to its full dramatic effect. 869 00:49:56,340 --> 00:49:57,840 It gives us a foretaste 870 00:49:57,840 --> 00:50:01,110 of the complete dismantling of Arthur's kingdom 871 00:50:01,110 --> 00:50:02,580 and makes Arthur 872 00:50:02,580 --> 00:50:06,488 one of the great tragic figures of literature. 873 00:50:06,488 --> 00:50:09,988 (solemn orchestral music) 874 00:50:11,490 --> 00:50:16,066 At dawn, Arthur is resolved to avoid war at all costs, 875 00:50:16,066 --> 00:50:19,047 but he's powerless to prevent it. 876 00:50:19,047 --> 00:50:22,500 (solemn orchestral music) 877 00:50:22,500 --> 00:50:24,963 The decisive battle commences. 878 00:50:24,963 --> 00:50:28,463 (solemn orchestral music) 879 00:50:29,917 --> 00:50:31,740 "And never since was there seen 880 00:50:31,740 --> 00:50:34,743 a more doleful a battle in no Christian land. 881 00:50:36,105 --> 00:50:40,440 For those but rushing and riding, foiling and striking 882 00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:45,270 and many a grim word was there spoken of either to other 883 00:50:45,270 --> 00:50:47,105 and many a deadly stroke. 884 00:50:47,105 --> 00:50:50,983 And thus they fought all the long day and never stinted 885 00:50:50,983 --> 00:50:54,443 'til the noble knights were laid to the cold earth 886 00:50:54,443 --> 00:50:57,836 and ever they fought still 'til it was near night, 887 00:50:57,836 --> 00:51:02,447 and by then, there were 100,000 laid dead upon the earth." 888 00:51:03,356 --> 00:51:07,410 Aware that his narrative is reaching its climax, 889 00:51:07,410 --> 00:51:11,250 Mallory cranks up the rhetoric and ratchets up the numbers. 890 00:51:11,250 --> 00:51:15,210 It's almost as if every conflict in British history 891 00:51:15,210 --> 00:51:16,304 had led to this point 892 00:51:16,304 --> 00:51:19,680 and what's at stake here is both the future of the king 893 00:51:19,680 --> 00:51:22,713 and the future of the kingdom. 894 00:51:23,820 --> 00:51:26,130 Hundreds of thousands of men 895 00:51:26,130 --> 00:51:29,040 are pitched against each other in bloody battle, 896 00:51:29,040 --> 00:51:31,027 but it will still come down to a fight 897 00:51:31,027 --> 00:51:33,303 between father and son. 898 00:51:38,333 --> 00:51:42,491 Mordred is killed, but Arthur is mortally wounded. 899 00:51:42,491 --> 00:51:45,408 (soft tense music) 900 00:51:47,400 --> 00:51:50,160 His dying wish is for Sir Bedivere, 901 00:51:50,160 --> 00:51:52,170 his last surviving knight 902 00:51:52,170 --> 00:51:55,713 to throw the sword, Excalibur into the lake. 903 00:51:56,551 --> 00:51:59,397 ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 904 00:51:59,397 --> 00:52:02,939 [Simon] Mallory makes it a supreme test of loyalty. 905 00:52:02,939 --> 00:52:04,920 ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 906 00:52:04,920 --> 00:52:06,700 Sir Bedivere has been 907 00:52:07,590 --> 00:52:11,400 Arthur's most trusted and loyal knight, 908 00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:12,905 and I think for Bedivere, 909 00:52:12,905 --> 00:52:17,905 this would've been like disposing of the king himself. 910 00:52:17,940 --> 00:52:21,480 He would be bringing an end to the Round Table 911 00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:24,450 and he would be bringing about the end 912 00:52:24,450 --> 00:52:27,712 of the life of his friend and his king. 913 00:52:27,712 --> 00:52:29,962 ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 914 00:52:31,623 --> 00:52:34,202 [Simon] "Then Sir Bedivere departed 915 00:52:34,202 --> 00:52:37,497 and went to the sword and lightly took it up. 916 00:52:37,497 --> 00:52:39,908 And so he went unto the waterside 917 00:52:39,908 --> 00:52:42,754 and there he bound the girdle about the hilt 918 00:52:42,754 --> 00:52:46,194 and threw the sword as far into the water as he might. 919 00:52:46,194 --> 00:52:49,590 And there came an arm and a hand above the water 920 00:52:49,590 --> 00:52:51,720 and took it and clutched it 921 00:52:51,720 --> 00:52:53,924 and shook it thrice and brandished, 922 00:52:53,924 --> 00:52:57,603 and then vanished with the sword into the water. 923 00:53:02,010 --> 00:53:06,539 It's now time for Arthur to depart from this world. 924 00:53:06,539 --> 00:53:09,289 (breeze blowing) 925 00:53:15,892 --> 00:53:18,940 Then Sir Bedivere took the king upon his back 926 00:53:19,950 --> 00:53:22,081 and so went with him to the waterside. 927 00:53:22,081 --> 00:53:24,876 And when they were there, even fast by the bank, 928 00:53:24,876 --> 00:53:29,147 hoved a little barge with many fair ladies in it. 929 00:53:29,147 --> 00:53:31,810 'Now put me into that barge,' said the king 930 00:53:32,850 --> 00:53:35,220 and then on they rode from the land 931 00:53:35,220 --> 00:53:38,553 and Sir Bedivere beheld all those ladies go from him. 932 00:53:39,719 --> 00:53:42,480 'Comfort thyself,' said the king, 933 00:53:42,480 --> 00:53:44,460 for I will into the veil of Avalon 934 00:53:44,460 --> 00:53:47,160 to heal me of my grievous wound, 935 00:53:47,160 --> 00:53:51,517 and if thou hear nevermore of me, pray for my soul.'" 936 00:53:51,517 --> 00:53:55,184 (haunting orchestral music) 937 00:53:57,150 --> 00:53:59,430 If I ever need reminding of the power 938 00:53:59,430 --> 00:54:02,922 of literature and myth, it's there in that passage. 939 00:54:02,922 --> 00:54:04,820 No matter how many times I read it, 940 00:54:04,820 --> 00:54:07,777 it never fails to move me and I don't really know why. 941 00:54:07,777 --> 00:54:09,900 It's something to do with Bedivere 942 00:54:09,900 --> 00:54:12,243 carrying King Arthur on his back, 943 00:54:13,800 --> 00:54:15,570 the end of everything, 944 00:54:15,570 --> 00:54:18,930 Arthur's kingdom finished, separated from his family, 945 00:54:18,930 --> 00:54:20,993 the Round Table smashed to pieces. 946 00:54:20,993 --> 00:54:23,314 And yet King Arthur accepts all this 947 00:54:23,314 --> 00:54:26,505 with great dignity and grace. 948 00:54:26,505 --> 00:54:31,505 -(haunting orchestral music) -(thunder rumbling) 949 00:54:32,233 --> 00:54:34,900 I think he understands that his time has come 950 00:54:36,700 --> 00:54:40,530 and then he's borne away on this funereal barge 951 00:54:40,530 --> 00:54:42,123 to the Isle of Avalon, 952 00:54:44,550 --> 00:54:47,040 I suppose, back into the mists of time 953 00:54:47,040 --> 00:54:49,937 out of which he first came. 954 00:54:49,937 --> 00:54:53,604 (haunting orchestral music) 955 00:55:04,284 --> 00:55:08,250 Of course, there's still a little bit of unfinished business 956 00:55:08,250 --> 00:55:11,910 in the shape and form of our unfaithful lovers, 957 00:55:11,910 --> 00:55:14,370 Guinevere and Lancelot. 958 00:55:14,370 --> 00:55:18,622 And Mallory manages to tie up these loose ends 959 00:55:18,622 --> 00:55:22,203 in a very poignant coda at the end of the story. 960 00:55:26,850 --> 00:55:28,942 In repentance for her infidelity, 961 00:55:28,942 --> 00:55:31,953 Guinevere lives the rest of her life as a nun. 962 00:55:34,500 --> 00:55:38,790 It's only after her death that Lancelot too can be redeemed 963 00:55:38,790 --> 00:55:42,510 by bringing her body to Arthur's grave at Glastonbury Abbey, 964 00:55:42,510 --> 00:55:45,454 where the tomb is still marked today. 965 00:55:45,454 --> 00:55:48,787 (soft orchestral music) 966 00:55:52,380 --> 00:55:54,720 Significantly and symbolically, 967 00:55:54,720 --> 00:55:58,690 these three characters are reunited for one final time 968 00:56:00,540 --> 00:56:04,980 and with great ceremony and with great dignity. 969 00:56:04,980 --> 00:56:08,430 Lancelot lays her in the cold earth 970 00:56:08,430 --> 00:56:11,223 next to the body of her husband, King Arthur. 971 00:56:16,380 --> 00:56:18,810 It's a powerful final scene, 972 00:56:18,810 --> 00:56:21,690 Mallory's heartfelt plea for unity 973 00:56:21,690 --> 00:56:24,243 in a country beset by civil war. 974 00:56:28,132 --> 00:56:31,230 It's quite difficult to know what to think and feel 975 00:56:31,230 --> 00:56:32,370 at the end of this journey, 976 00:56:32,370 --> 00:56:36,210 a journey of thousands of years and thousands of miles. 977 00:56:36,210 --> 00:56:40,609 And you end up standing on some modern paving stones 978 00:56:40,609 --> 00:56:44,670 next to what is quite possibly a fictitious grave 979 00:56:44,670 --> 00:56:46,980 for two fictitious people. 980 00:56:46,980 --> 00:56:49,560 And yet the fact that there is a grave here 981 00:56:49,560 --> 00:56:53,550 in this very holy and historical site 982 00:56:53,550 --> 00:56:57,570 is a testament to the importance of Arthur 983 00:56:57,570 --> 00:57:00,033 in the imagination of the British people. 984 00:57:00,954 --> 00:57:04,537 (melodic orchestral music) 985 00:57:14,460 --> 00:57:16,209 It was Mallory's "Morte d'Arthur" 986 00:57:16,209 --> 00:57:19,263 that became the definitive account of the story. 987 00:57:21,406 --> 00:57:22,920 It brought to a close 988 00:57:22,920 --> 00:57:25,740 the golden age of Arthurian literature, 989 00:57:25,740 --> 00:57:28,510 which had begun with the Normans. 990 00:57:28,510 --> 00:57:31,843 (soft orchestral music) 991 00:57:36,590 --> 00:57:39,540 It seems to me that the story of Arthur 992 00:57:39,540 --> 00:57:41,417 is the story of these islands. 993 00:57:41,417 --> 00:57:43,800 Look for King Arthur and what you find 994 00:57:43,800 --> 00:57:46,130 is a character who's been embraced 995 00:57:46,130 --> 00:57:50,250 and then adapted by waves of succeeding cultures, 996 00:57:50,250 --> 00:57:53,455 a man who's been remodeled and recast 997 00:57:53,455 --> 00:57:55,383 to fit the needs of the day. 998 00:57:56,280 --> 00:57:58,920 But somebody who still manages to offer us 999 00:57:58,920 --> 00:58:02,460 a shared sense of common history and common purpose. 1000 00:58:02,460 --> 00:58:05,610 So real or imaginary, 1001 00:58:05,610 --> 00:58:08,310 in my view, that makes King Arthur 1002 00:58:08,310 --> 00:58:12,511 our most enduring and appealing national hero. 1003 00:58:12,511 --> 00:58:15,844 (soft orchestral music) 1004 00:58:24,136 --> 00:58:26,670 [Announcer] Dan Snow continues his series 1005 00:58:26,670 --> 00:58:29,760 of "Norman Walks" tomorrow at 10 here on BBC Four 1006 00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:31,050 with a trip to Yorkshire. 1007 00:58:31,050 --> 00:58:32,550 There's a little taster of what's in store 1008 00:58:32,550 --> 00:58:34,050 coming up in just a second. 1009 00:58:34,050 --> 00:58:36,570 And next tonight, romance, battle, morality, 1010 00:58:36,570 --> 00:58:38,820 and even a dose of green values 1011 00:58:38,820 --> 00:58:41,100 as Simon Armitage explores the landscape 1012 00:58:41,100 --> 00:58:43,287 of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."