On the 1500th anniversary of King Arthur’s greatest battle at Badon, his whole life, family history and exploits are finally identified with those of a real historic ruler. In his new book ‘Pennine Dragon: The Real King Arthur of the North’, author Simon Keegan reveals that Arthur Pendragon was actually a ruler recorded in history as Arthwys of the Pennines. He and his father ruled from the old Roman garrisons of Hadrian’s Wall and the City of York and his base was Camulod (Camelot) in the heart of what is now Yorkshire.

Join Simon in conversation as he explains that Arthwys had his Merlin, his Mordred, his Lancelot and his beautiful Irish Queen. During his research, he has identified no fewer than 50 Arthurian characters in real historical figures. We meet Morgan, Gawain, Bedevere, Culhwch, Uther and Igraine – and each character fits in perfectly within the family tree and inner circle of the historic king. Simon is convinced that Arthwys is the only possible man who could have been the King Arthur of legend. Has the mystery of King Arthur been solved, 1500 years after the historic king’s final victory over the Saxons? Come and hear an extraordinary detective story across folklore, myth and history to find out.

About The Authors

Simon Keegan

Simon Keegan has travelled to all of the UK and France’s key Arthurian sites and spent many years researching the history and legends. A professional journalist for 19 years, he currently works for the ‘Daily Mirror’ and has previously worked for The Metro, the Daily Express, the Big Issue and is the former editor of the Salford Advertiser. He is married with two children and lives in Cheshire. ‘Pennine Dragon’ is his first book.

Iain Bloomfield

Iain Bloomfield is the outgoing Artistic Director and Head of Arts at the University of Bradford.  He has a thirty (plus) year career making and developing new performance work in theatres and community spaces. He will continue to do a lot more of that when he leaves.