Mike Loades investigates the Bayeux Tapestry’s climactic battle sequence in a quest to unpick what this iconic embroidery tells us about the Battle of Hastings.

Working alongside a small band of expert practitioners and re-enactors, in a hands-on investigation, Mike examines fresh interpretations for some of the Tapestry’s key scenes.

This was a clash between two very different forces. The Anglo-Saxon English had their shield-wall and the Normans used 'combined forces' – cavalry, infantry and archers. But, according to the Tapestry, how exactly could these contrasting military systems have operated on the day?