On The Spot

Forty years ago, a sleepy village in the heart of England was the scene of a gruesome discovery when nearly 300 skeletons were unearthed in a mass grave. Bioarchaeologists believes these bones are the last remains of the Great Heathen Army, a legendary Viking fighting force that invaded England in the 9th century. Armed with the latest scientific methods, the team uncovers extraordinary human stories from the front line, including evidence of women warriors, and a lost king reunited with his son in death.

In November 2012, in central Denmark in a small town called Fregerslev, Merethe Schifter Bagge and her team were sent out to do a routine archaeological survey. However, this survey turned out to be anything but routine. They discovered something shiny buried in the soil; one of hundreds of metal pieces from a thousand-year-old horse's bridle. This bridle was part of one of the largest burials ever found in Denmark and it dates to the beginning of the end of the Viking Age. The bridle was made of priceless metals that must have been imported into Denmark. The placement of the bridle in the grave suggests that this was a rider burial; a type of pagan burial where a wealthy Viking would have been buried with a sacrificed horse. This was the grave of a very important Viking who lived around 950 AD. The most bizarre aspect of this burial is that it doesn't contain a body.

Take to the air with the U-2 Dragon Lady - a secret Cold War spy plane with a troublesome crash record; the AV-8B Harrier - the vertical takeoff 'jump-jet' which changed the face of military air combat; and the KC-135 Stratotanker - the gigantic air tanker which travels the world refuelling jets in mid-air, at speeds of over 550mph. Strap in, this is an aircraft lover's dream ticket.