Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

Terry Jones investigates the truth of the Roman Games, uncovering what it took to be a gladiator and looking at why, to the noble ladies of Rome, these brave men were the rock stars of their day. The programme also examines how the legacy of the games lives on in the great sports arenas of the 20th century and reveals why the Romans would be as shocked by our violent entertainments as we are by theirs.

Medieval Lives...Knights in shining armor, damsels in distress, pious monks... Nonsense. The Middle Ages were far more entertaining than that. Legendary Monty Python star and medieval scholar, Terry Jones, has been leafing through the history books to find out what the medieval world was really like. What he discovered is a treasure trove of extraordinary stories and characters that challenges those tired traditional stereotypes. With the help of animated medieval paintings, these wonderful tales bring the Middle Ages vividly to life in all its corruption, violence and greed, courage, enterprise and learning. Anyone who enjoys Chaucer or Rabelais will be familiar with the earthy humour of the time, but few people know about the dark side of chivalry or that women and serfs were not downtrodden creatures at all. Each episode explores the role and function of a different medieval archetype. All of these stories are absolutely true and full of amazing facts.