The Vikings Channel 5: New TV series presented by archaeologist Raksha Dave and Xand van Tulleken to explore brutal history of Viking invasion and its connection with Yorkshire

The three-part docuseries will be presented by archaeologist Raksha Dave and Dr Xand van Tulleken who will tell of the brutal story of one of the most bloody and savage conquests in English history.

1,000 years ago, England was invaded by a large fleet of Viking longships and thousands of Viking warriors charged throughout the country, spreading death and destruction. They were led by the teenage Danish Prince Canute.

They were insistent on a complete regime change and crowned Canute as the first Viking king of England and only the ailing English King Ethelred the unready and his son, Edmund Ironside stood in their way.

Xand and Raksha will follow the bloody fight for the throne of England, chapter by chapter as the Vikings topple England and unveil the horrifying brutality of Canute’s Viking forces and expose what the Vikings were really like as they blasted their way throughout the country.

They will cover what life would have been like for villagers during the constant threat of Viking raids and reveal that rather than just pillaging and returning the Scandinavia, some Vikings settled in York and made it their home. They lived and ruled by Viking traditions for generations.

The series will air its first episode on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 9pm on Channel 5 and following two episodes will air on Thursday, June 22 and Friday, June 23.

In the first episode, Dr Xand van Tulleken and Raksha Dave investigated how the ferocious Viking army prepared for invasion in Denmark before launching their terrifying attack on England.

They also explored the feud between the weak King Ethelred and its treacherous son, Edmund and the development of the Vikings’ bloody onslaught as its armies arrive in England and begin their attack, first on the South coast.

Xand visited an ancient Danish fort and experience Viking battle training first hand. He also found out what life was like for a Viking warrior on board their cutting-edge longships.

In Cambridge, Raksha learned about how the Vikings raped and pillaged the land, extorting millions in today’s money through fear and brutality.

Through modern, cutting-edge scientific research, she investigated one of the most bloody and legendary means of Viking retribution.

In the upcoming and last episode, which airs on Friday, June 23 at 9pm on Channel 5, the Viking invaders prepare for a final showdown for the Crown of England as two would-be-kings, Edmund Ironside and Canute get ready to fight to the death.