El Cid: the life and legend of a medieval Spanish warrior
You're Dead to Me
BBC
4.7 • 11.8K Ratings
🗓️ 10 April 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Greg Jenner is joined in medieval Spain by historian Professor Nora Berend and comedian Toussaint Douglass to learn about the colourful life and afterlife of the warrior known as El Cid. El Cid – real name Rodrigo Díaz – was a mercenary in eleventh-century Spain who fought for both Christian kings and Muslim rulers before setting himself up as ruler of Valencia. This episode explores his dramatic life in the period before religious divisions were key on the Iberian Peninsula, and an ambitious warrior might fight for whoever would pay him. It then traces the legend that grew up around him after his death, taking in the medieval romances written about El Cid, the surprising role his bones played in the Napoleonic wars, his appropriation by General Franco after the Spanish Civil War, and even the classic Hollywood film starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren.
If you’re a fan of legendary but mysterious figures from the past, medieval romances, and the use and misuse of history for political purposes, you’ll love our episode on El Cid. If you want to learn more about other historical events mentioned in this episode, listen to our episodes on al-Andalus and Young Napoleon. And for more from Toussaint Douglass, check out our episodes on Frederick Douglass and the Causes of the British Civil Wars.
You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Adam Simcox Written by: Adam Simcox, Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
Transcript
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| 0:49.4 | Hello and welcome to You're Dead to Me, the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes history seriously. |
| 0:54.4 | My name's Greg Jenner. I'm a public historian, author and broadcaster. |
| 0:57.4 | And today we are gathering a band of mercenaries and galloping back to 11th century Spain |
| 1:01.9 | to learn about legendary warrior and all-around lad, El Cid. |
| 1:06.3 | And to join our quest, we have two very special comrades in arms. |
| 1:10.1 | In History Corner, she's Professor |
| 1:11.4 | of European History at the University of Cambridge, where she specialises in medieval social |
| 1:15.9 | and religious history. She's the author of the fascinating book, El Cid, the life and |
| 1:20.3 | afterlife of a medieval mercenary. It's Professor Nora Barrand. Welcome, Nora. Thank you. I'm |
| 1:24.8 | thrilled to be here and can someone take good care of my horse while I'm here. Pop it in the stables, no worries. Annie Comedy Corner. Annie Comedy Corner, he's an award-winning stand-up and comedy writer. You might have seen him on Richard Osmond's House of Games, comedians giving lectures, outsiders of late-night MASH, maybe you've seen his recent smash hit stand-up show, accessible |
| 1:45.6 | pigeon material, and you'll remember him from our past episodes on Frederick Douglas and the causes |
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