HISTORIANS at Winchester University have offered their expertise to a BBC historical drama set during the reign of King Alfred, writes Michael Carr.

Producers at Carnival Films, which also made Downton Abbey, turned to medieval experts at the university to help with Viking drama The Last Kingdom.

Dr Ryan Lavelle, reader in medieval history, was drafted in as a consultant to the new multi-million pound eight-part drama series, an adaption of Bernard Cornwell’s best selling franchise The Saxon Stories.

The BBC series, which started on BBC Two last week, takes viewers back to the ninth century, when King Alfred’s kingdom of Wessex stood alone against the Vikings as they stormed the northern regions. It focusses on themes of politics, religion, warfare, courage, love and loyalty.

As previously reported by the Chronicle, the university has been at the forefront of Anglo-Saxon research – shedding light on this period and the final resting place of King Alfred.

In 2014, the university and Hyde900 discovered a pelvic bone thought to belong to Alfred the Great, or his eldest son.

Dr Lavelle said: “It was great to be able to provide historical notes for the series’ scriptwriter and production team, and to travel to Hungary to work on-set during part of the filming

“It has been a very exciting project to work on, and I am pleased that the first episode earned some great reviews when broadcast in America earlier this month.

“It’s wonderful to be able to weave historical accuracy into a popular production like this," he added. "I hope that bringing history to life in people’s homes will inspire a whole new generation to explore the past in a way that really interests them.”

Hampshire Chronicle:

King Alfred is a supporting character in the series, with some of his achievements credited to part-fictionalised protagonist Uhtred Ragnarson.

David Dawson (above), who plays King Alfred in the series, said: "I am a real lover of history and I didn't know a lot, but I love research. What thrilled me about this story was you see the famous statue in Winchester of Alfred the Great so you picture this heroic warrior king.

"Then you realise in our story he is far more thoughtful, frail, sickly, quiet, pensive and calculating.

"In a world full of brave warrior men, this thin little pale man may not have had the clout physically, but he is the cleverest man in any room."

Episode two of The Last Kingdom airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Two.