1066
1066 - (Hardy Pictures) is an ambitious historical re-enactment of one of Britain's bloodiest periods in a drama. Screen Yorkshire provided locations and logistical support during filming, which took place at Bolton Abbey and Flamborough Head in 2008.Filmed entirely on location in Yorkshire and Sussex, 1066 features an international cast, including Mike Bailey (Skins) Francis Magee (Layer Cake), Soren Byder (Foyle's War) and Anthony Debaeck (Wolfman). It is written by Peter Harness (City of Vice, Is There Anybody There?) and directed by Justin Hardy (City of Vice, The Relief of Belsen). 1066 was broadcast on Channel 4 in May 2009.
Lucy Basnett-McGuire, Hardy Pictures, talks about why they chose to film in Yorkshire:
''To take the audience back to 1066 we needed a landscape that was as wild , epic and varied as our story which encompassed everything from beach landings to forest battles. The Lord of the Rings had New Zealand, but we had Yorkshire and it gave us everything we needed and more. We even found an existing wooden bridge that with minimal modification stood in for the famous Stamford bridge where the Anglo Saxons defeated the Viking invaders. Yorkshire is a great place to film, so good in fact that we are coming back for our next production.''
SYNOPSIS
In the year 1066, England changed forever. In a series of events that would come to define our history, two ancient tribes were wiped out and a conqueror triumphed. While every schoolchild has been told the story of 1066, a great deal is assumed about the events of that fateful year and very little truly known. There were actually three great battles in that year, not one. The Vikings were just as terrifying as the Normans. And perhaps King Harold was not killed by that arrow to the eye after all...
1066 reveals the untold story of the Norman conquest, not through the eyes of kings and conquerors, but from the perspective of the common man. This ambitious two-part, feature-length original drama sheds new light on one of British history's defining moments from the viewpoint of the ordinary villagers caught up in the chaos.
1066 was produced by Hardy Pictures for Channel 4, Screen Yorkshire provided locations and logistical support.
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