
The Saga of Erik the Viking
From Valhalla Conversations by Becky Hill
November 20, 2025 · 1h 44m · Season 1 · Episode 21
About this episode
Becky Hill and guest Chris Tuckley discuss the overlooked cultural impact of 'Erik the Viking' and its connections to Terry Jones and the film adaptation.
In this episode, special guest Chris Tuckley (who is leading a million-pound project at Selby Abbey) joins me in Valhalla to share his experience and encounters of a piece of vikings in popular culture that is both overlooked and otherwise forgotten - Erik the Viking. And viewers/listeners may be surprised to learn that the late Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) actually wrote a children's book BEFORE leading on the spoof comedy that was the film. We discuss what makes the children's book so good for all ages, universally regardless of it now being a 30+ year old, how Mosaic Games then developed an interactive narrative game based upon it, and finish off with an honest review of the film and how and why it unfortunately didn't do well when it releaed in 1989, and why it is an artefact of it's time now.
People in this episode
Host: Becky Hill
Guest: Chris Tuckley
Topics covered
- Vikings
- popular culture
- children's literature
- film analysis
- interactive games
Keywords
- Erik the Viking
- Terry Jones
- children's book
- Monty Python
- interactive narrative game
- film analysis
- 1989 release
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Erik the Viking, Monty Python, children's book, interactive narrative game, film
More episodes of Valhalla Conversations
- Life lessons with Loki: with Louie Stowell · June 4, 2026 · 1h 12m
- Beowulf in Yorkshire: with musician Howard Jacobs · May 21, 2026 · 1h 12m
- Valkyries: Beyond the Sagas and Legends · May 12, 2026 · 1h 31m
- Time Travel to the Viking Age with M.G. Leonard · May 7, 2026 · 52 min
- The Last Einherjar with Kevin Wells · April 23, 2026 · 1h 13m
- Halls of Asgard: A New Game for Norse Gods · April 7, 2026 · 1h 3m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Valhalla Conversations podcast page.