In this programme on the Domesday Book, Dr Stephen Baxter, medieval historian at King's College, London, reveals the human and political drama that lies within the parchment of England's earliest surviving public record. He also finds out the real reason it was commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Most historians believe that Domesday is some kind of tax book for raising revenue, but Baxter has his own theory. He argues that it is about something far more important than money.