While we are preoccupied with global warming and computer meltdown, our surprisingly sophisticated Anglo-Saxon ancestors were terrified of Viking invasion.

Britain's system of social welfare, law and order and a yearning for knowledge had made us the envy of Europe and a country under threat from violent and opportunistic raiders.

But what was it really like to live just before the end of the first millennium? 1000 AD recreates life circa 999 AD, showing the everyday lives, loves and passions of the Anglo-Saxon people.

A soap opera-style drama runs alongside interviews with leading historians who paint a revealing picture of the political and social structure of pre-Norman Britain.