"Vikings" was the third of the six 'history as news' episodes to be shown by PBS in 1989, focusing on 1066AD when William the Conqueror was preparing to invade England, just as the Norse invasion of England by Harald Hardradi had been defeated by England's Saxon King Harold. Reporters Owen of Canarfon (Robert Bathurst), Siboletto of Zimbabwe (Fran Dorn), Louis de Jaen (Inaqui Aierra) & Selim Karasi (Engin Cezzar) report from Normandy, England and from Iceland as they look at how the Vikings have developed from their initial pirate raids on England and Europe to become a major European power; the Normans are Viking descendants. With the future of England hanging in the balance, anchorman Steve Bell reveals the events that have led to this watershed moment in European history.