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.
