How a 1,000-Year-Old Tapestry Took London by Storm

About this episode

<p>For the first time in centuries, the Bayeux Tapestry — a nearly 1,000-year-old piece of embroidery that depicts the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 — is on display in Britain.</p><p>It was long said by art experts to be too fragile to move. But in a development that required geopolitical persuasion, this summer the tapestry made its way from Bayeux, France, to the British Museum in London.</p><p>When the first block of tickets went on sale, the British Museum said, over 80,000 people at a time waited online to buy them.</p><p>In this episode of the “Sunday Daily,” Alex Marshall, a culture reporter for The New York Times, talks with host Michael Barbaro about why this ancient piece of embroidery matters so much to the British public.</p><p><strong>On Today’s Episode:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/alex-marshall" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Alex Marshall</strong></a> is a European culture reporter for The New York Times, based in London.</p><p><strong>Background Reading:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/arts/design/bayeux-tapestry-replicas.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to See a Bayeux Tapestry — Without Going to the British Museum</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/arts/design/bayeux-tapestry-british-museum-opening.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Nation Gripped by ‘Bayeux Fever’ Finally Gets to See the Tapestry</a></li></ul><p>Photo credit: Kin Cheung for Associated Press.</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>