Norse code

Double Your House for Half the Money (C4, 8pm)

One Born Every Minute: Twins and Triplets (C4, 9pm)

Lilyhammer (BBC4, 10pm)

AFTER Coast, A History Of Scotland and The Last Explorers, presenter Neil Oliver is back with more news of the past.

This time he is uncovering a world beloved by fiction, but of which little is known in fact – Vikings, who have a bit of reputation as raiders and marauders throughout Western Europe.

In the three-part series, he looks at the Norse warriors’ customs and searches for the truth behind the legends of their deeds, by visiting sites throughout Europe and the UK that have proved crucial in their expansion.

He begins by telling the story of the Vikings’ origins, and investigates the world of their ancient ancestors by charting Scandinavia’s prehistoric landscape from the Baltic Sea to Norway’s Atlantic coast.

Oliver also examines archaeological evidence to paint a picture of the society from which the Vikings emerged all those years ago. Have a look at the remains of weapon-filled war-boats, longhaired Bronze Age farmers and the Swedish site of a royal palace, complete with evidence of gruesome pagan rituals that conjure up the lives of the people who inhabited a land that shaped the Viking Age.

Reconstructions and recreations lend further flesh to the bones of the stories told, and the episode will be challenging and perhaps overturning some long-held beliefs about the Norse raiders.

The series considers the Norsemen’s ancestry, society and traditions, and wonders how much of what we thought we knew is accurate and how big are the gaps in our knowledge?

REMEMBER when the housing market was booming and wouldbe developers were so confident they could make a profit that they went on Property Ladder and then ignored Sarah Beeny’s sensible advice?

Well, those days are over, as Double Your House for Half the Money suggests that in the current climate, a lot of people are nervous of buying themselves a new home, let alone splashing out on an investment property.

Luckily, Beeny’s still on hand to help, only this time she is advising families on how they can save cash, and potentially even boost their equity, by creating more space in their homes, whether by extending, converting, drilling down or just giving it a facelift.

She meets the Ricketts, who hope to transform their 1980s detached house in Leicestershire. However, their budget is tight, and they have been saving for IVF treatment, so they cannot afford to leave Sarah’s advice unheeded.

Meanwhile, the Ellis family in Bristol are planning to convert their cellar, but the lack of natural light could create problems.

THE arrival of a baby is normally a joyous event, but does the arrival of twins and triplets mean twice and three times the love?

One Born Every Minute follows four couples through the twists and turns of their pregnancies.

Ana and Paul are thrilled at the prospect of being first-time parents to triplets, but a routine scan brings some worrying news.

Beth and Shane discover that surgery is required to save their unborn identical twins, while Carolyne and Gordon are stunned to learn that their longed-for fifth baby is going to be babies number five, six and seven.

Meanwhile, the medical team battles to save Sophie and Carlos’ twin daughters, who were born at only 28 weeks.

IT is not only BBC4 audiences who have fallen under the spell of Scandinavian TV. The US is catching on, too.

New series Lilyhammer is a co-production between the US and Norway.

It stars Steven Van Zandt, who, depending on whether you are a cult TV or classic rock fan, is best known for being either Silvio in The Sopranos or the guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

Here, he is New York Mafia member Frank Tagliano, who is so annoyed at being passed over for a promotion, he is prepared to testify against his boss.

In return, Frank wants to join the FBI’s witness protection programme, and thinks he has found the perfect place to hide out – Lillehammer, in Norway.

Frank has fond memories of attending the winter Olympics there in 1994, but it soon becomes clear that life in the snowy town is not quite what he had imagined