Special Episode: 1066 and the Battle of Hastings

Greg Jenner (0:04)

Hello, and welcome to You're Dead to Me. We're the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes history seriously. My name is Greg Jenner. I'm a public historian, author, and broadcaster. And today, we are collecting our bodyguard, calling up the cavalry, and galloping all the way back to Medieval England and galloping back again to learn everything about the events of 1066 and the Battle of Hastings. And joining our ranks on this epic campaign, we have two very special guests.

In History Corner, she's Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies at University College London. Luckily for us, she's an expert on Norman and Scandinavian invasions of Medieval England. And you might have read her wonderful new book, all about 1066, 19 Days in Autumn. It's Dr Erin Goeres. Welcome, Erin.

Erin Goeres (0:44)

Thank you. Pleasure to be here.

Greg Jenner (0:45)

I'm very excited to have you in. And in Comedy Corner, she's an award-winning screenwriter, actor, podcaster, and comedian. Maybe you've seen her on tour or heard her BBC Sounds podcast, Wheel of Misfortune, or her new show, Ignore That Feeling with Fern Brady.

And of course, on the telly, you may have seen her on Nowhere Fast, Celebrity Goggled Box, Richard Osman's House of Games, Pointless Celebrities. But most importantly, you'll remember her from our episode on the Medieval Papacy. It's Alison Spittle. Welcome back.

Alison Spittle (1:10)

Mad popes for life. I still talk about them. Even last week, I was chatting to someone about them.

Greg Jenner (1:17)

It's a lot of people's favourite episode, that one.

Alison Spittle (1:19)

Mine too.

Greg Jenner (1:20)

Some pretty strange history.

Alison Spittle (1:21)

Popes are genuine drag queens to me. I love them.

Greg Jenner (1:25)

Dead popes on trial, all the good stuff. So we've done Medieval Popes and we're back in the Middle Ages with you.

Alison Spittle (1:30)

Yes, we are. And this is a subject I don't know that much about. Sure.

Greg Jenner (1:37)

OK, so you grew up in Ireland.

Alison Spittle (1:38)

I did. I grew up in Ireland.

Greg Jenner (1:39)

So what does 1066 mean, if anything?

Alison Spittle (1:42)

1066, I think there was an advertisement for an insurance company. Was it Churchill?

Greg Jenner (1:47)

No, no, it's 1066

Alison Spittle (1:48)

It's 1066 That's all I remember.

Hastings, yeah. Sorry, I got my historical insurance companies mixed up, you know.

Greg Jenner (1:56)

Very niche subject.

Alison Spittle (1:58)

But yes, 1066 to me is either a passcode for something or a phone number for an English person. That's all I know. Fair enough.

There's a battle.

Greg Jenner (2:10)

There is.

Alison Spittle (2:11)

Yeah. There's actually three.

Greg Jenner (2:12)

There's actually three, but we'll get into it. We've got lots to cover. So it's good to know that you've got a baseline, which is insurance companies, and then from there we can build. And you're Canadian originally, so you've come to this late as well.

Erin Goeres (2:26)

I have. I have.

Alison Spittle (2:27)

Yes.

Erin Goeres (2:28)

I think for most Canadians, 1066 is just a big question mark. So it was a grand voyage of discovery for me.

Greg Jenner (2:34)

Lovely.

Alison Spittle (2:35)

What was it like for you?

Greg Jenner (2:36)

I love 1066

Alison Spittle (2:37)

It's my favorite.

Greg Jenner (2:37)

I'm very excited. Oh, that's good.

So what do you know?

This is the So what do you know? This is where I have a go at guessing what you, our lovely listener or viewer, hello, will know about today's subject. And if you're English, 1066 is the most famous date in all of English history, right? We all know it. 1066 and all that. It's William the Conqueror, it's the Battle of Hastings, Harold with the arrow in the eye. You know, our lovely podcast artwork, right? Maybe you've got tickets to go see the Bayeux Tapestry and the British Museum. Maybe you saw the BBC TV drama King and Conqueror. You probably know a lot about it, but maybe not everything. So who were the men who fought for the English Crown in 1066? Did Harold really get an arrow in the eye? And why should you never trust your younger brother? Maybe not. Let's find out. Okay, Alison.

Alison Spittle (3:26)

Yes.

Greg Jenner (3:26)

Obviously. Easy question here. Who was the king before 1066?

Alison Spittle (3:31)

No, don't you dare. So William is the guy after.

And then the king before that was just Bob.

Greg Jenner (3:39)

King Bob.

Alison Spittle (3:40)

King Bob. Yeah. I think he's a minion, isn't he?

Greg Jenner (3:42)

He's one of the minions, I think. That's Despicable Me. It's a very different genre.