Historical BBC drama centred around the wars between the Saxons and Danes during the 9th century.   Uhtred of Bebbanburg, is the warrior son of a Saxon nobleman who was captured by the Danes as a child and raised as one of their own. After Uhtred is blamed for an English uprising he is imprisoned along with fellow captive Brida. When they are released the pair flee to Winchester, the capital of Wessex, where they pledge allegiance to King Alfred. Vowing to avenge the death of Earl Ragnar and recapture his ancestral lands of Bebbanburg, Uhtred then travels north as King Alfred begins looking for a Christian Dane capable of succeeding him and uniting the kingdoms of England.