Arthur: King of the Britons

The legend of King Arthur is one of the most evocative stories in British mythology. We think of the romantic King, with his beautiful wife Guinivere by his side and the trusty sword Excalibur in his hand. The truth, we discover, is very different. The story was written in the medieval period but it was set hundreds of years earlier - in the Dark Ages. The program finds evidence that a real 6th Century warlord actually did exist, and that many of the most famous chapters of the story - such as the round table, the sword in the stone, Camelot - may well have been inspired by real places and events.