The 'Vikings' (BBC2), a great bunch of lads? Neil Oliver would seem to think so and in this episode in his series on the hairy marauders, he looked at their Western expeditions. They aren't just the, er, barbarians of lore - their culture and legacy is rich and varied. From the Norsemen sailing from Bergen to Shetland, their diet of rotten shark, the voyage of Erik the Red from Greenland to Newfoundland, the 'Thing' (an Icelandic forerunner of a Parliament) to their art, 'Vikings' explored the sophistication and civilizing aspects of this amazing group of travelling people. Oliver presented in his usual relaxed manner - anyone who knows him from 'Coast' will recognise his easygoing presentation style. The scenery and photography was stunning; what an awe-inspiring and pristine landscape these maritime pioneers must have surveyed. TV History isn't an easy gig but Oliver gets the balance between discourse and entertainment just right. There's a decent audienceship out there for mid-market, intelligent history programmes and this is one such programme. Already being favourably contrasted to Andrew Marr's disappointing 'History of the World' (see previous entry from 'thetvreviewguy'), 'Vikings' shows us how recent the past is, a mere 30-40 generations ago since Erik the Red and Co were on the rampage and settling down in Europe and beyond. A voyage worth joining.
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