When Ryan Lavelle was asked to visit the set of a new BBC2 drama on the reign of Alfred the Great to offer some thoughts on historical accuracy, it seemed like an intriguing excursion.
Little did the historian, now professor of early medieval history at the University of Winchester, anticipate that his involvement in the epic Saxon saga The Last Kingdom would last almost a decade. With its transfer to Netflix in 2017, the show would also become one of the world’s most-watched historical dramas.
This month, millions of viewers tuned into the show’s feature-length finale, “Seven Kings Must Die”, with The Last Kingdom once again topping the streamer’s most-viewed list (season five was viewed 63 million times in its first week after its broadcast last year).
Since 2014, Professor Lavelle has worked with producers, costume designers, set creators and scriptwriters on everything from the sacred scrolls created by King Alfred to the decorations used in Danish feasting halls.
“I’d advise on how Saxon decorations might differ from Viking ones and what colours might be used – because the action moves so quickly you need a visual shorthand to help viewers understand where they are,” he explained.
In later series, some narrative choices would bend the established historical chronology, but Professor Lavelle said such decisions often served a greater purpose. The arrival of a black priest, Benedict, played by Patrick Robinson, refers to an African emissary from Rome, Hadrian, who arrived in England 200 years before Alfred’s reign, he explained.
“In the 9th and 10th centuries, England was at the edge of the world, but it was very much connected to the rest of Europe – Benedict represents the important figure of Hadrian, but illustrates how England was not the purely white society that some imagine,” added Professor Lavelle.
The success of The Last Kingdom – which follows the exploits of a Saxon nobleman, Uhtred, kidnapped as a boy by Vikings but who sides with King Alfred in his wars with invading Danes – has since led to other unusual collaborations, with Professor Lavelle and his Winchester colleague Eric Lacey advising the computer game Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, which has grossed more than £1 billion so far.
“Having the chance to climb Norwegian mountains and explore villages in Wessex is just amazing – it certainly helped get me through lockdown,” explained Professor Lavelle, who said he was “hugely proud” of his role in the show.
For all of the show’s thrilling battles, Professor Lavelle’s favourite scene of the entire five series was a quieter moment when a dying Alfred told Uhtred that he would not feature in any historical record: “It shows how history is controlled and written by the patrons – as a historian, that scene just works perfectly.”
