In our opening episode, our Viking special,
we first chance upon a 9 foot 3 inch Tudor giant in Hale village
near Widnes, a bouncer for the local lord who fought and beat
the King’s champion. Spitting distance away flashback 500
years before and you’d have seen the boys who liked a bit
of pillaging on Saturday night coming up the Mersey. What
should we do? Running would be a good idea. Today the area
is well worth metal detecting. Over the last 10 years those
marvellous men with electronic machines have unearthed 245,000
objects – increasing our knowledge of all things archaeological.
Why was Viking treasures buried? The experts at Liverpool
and Chester reveal some interesting theories. Next its Midsomer
Murder in Bidston Village. Imagine. Out you go to do a bit
of weeding and clunk. It’s big. It’s nothing you’ve seen before.
Who you gonna call? No not Ghostbusters. Not Time team. Next
up to Meols we go. What Lies Beneath a pub car park? Another
Sutton Hoo? A convenient link then to Elsie Lloyd who is the
only surviving witness to the unearthing of the 90 feet ceremonial
ship burial compete with gold regalia, probably the most important
archaeological find in the UK. Can you imagine seeing a Saxon
king being raised from his grave only to disappear into the
sand as the air hit the ancient corpse?
Fact Sheet One
- Episode One
