The Viking Code

This is an edited version of this programme.
"Is it true all British people can trace their ancestry to Vikings and how do ancestry DNA tests work?" asks Chloe Mann from Worthing.

Genetic ancestry tests promise to reveal your ancestral origins and map your global heritage, but do they? Rutherford and Fry are here to bust some myths.

Adam takes a trip through Norse history with Viking historian Janina Ramirez, whilst flying over the Medieval town of Ludwig.

Meanwhile Hannah discovers how DNA ancestry tests work with evolutionary geneticist Mark Thomas.

Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry
Producer: Michelle Martin

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.