TV preview: The Normans

If there's one thing the BBC does well, it's a history programme. It has the kind of budget, resources and reputation that enable it to access vast amounts of information and to recreate important and exciting moments from history.

Part of the BBC's Norman Season, which also includes programmes exploring the legend of King Arthur and the Domesday Book, The Normans examines how these descendants of Viking conquerors created one of the greatest empires on Earth.

It follows Professor Robert Bartlett, who is considered to be one of the world's most influential medieval historians, as he travels from Britain to Jerusalem, charting the ambitious expansion of the Normans. Along the way, he uses medieval manuscripts, Anglo-Saxon chronicles, art and architecture to look at how they rose to power between the 10th and 13th centuries.

Tonight, in the first of three episodes, he looks at where the Normans came from,and how they grew to be a power that was able to conquer England in 1066.

Professor Bartlett explores how a Scandinavian giant called Rollo led the group of Viking descendants to be established in northern France, becoming the Normans. One of their key achievements was the building of some of Christianity's most impressive buildings which still hold clues about their origins today.

When Duke William was born, the Normans' expansion plans stepped up a gear. A warrior and politician, he successfully conquered the provinces around Normandy, before turning his attentions to England. His claim that Edward the Confessor had promised him the English throne appeared to be backed up in the Bayeux Tapestry. But when Edward died, Harold Godwinson took power, leading to a massive invasion, and the famous battle, just north of Hastings.

If you find your appetite for learning about the Normans whetted by this programme, Norman Season is the first part of the BBC's new Hands On History initiative, which encourages TV viewers to go one step further than just watching programmes and actually get out and look for the history around them.

There will be a range of activities to accompany the Norman Season, including Norman walks like those undertaken by historian Dan Snow.

So if you feel like you really ought to know more about one of the most important periods in our history, tune in to a fascinating programme.