ICELAND WITH ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG

Channel 5, 9pm

It’s a baptism of fire for Alexander Armstrong, pictured below, as he embarks on a 1,000-mile journey on the trail of Norse Gods, rotten sharks and some of the most expensive beer in the world.

No sooner has he landed in the capital, Reykjavik, than he jumps into a helicopter to hover just metres from the rim of an erupting volcano.

“Iceland always seems to be in the middle of some geological meltdown,” he says. “I’ve arrived in the middle of its latest angry outburst.”

There are many other extraordinary moments in this series, which has stunning scenery, as Alexander discovers a land of geysers, glaciers, whales, fairies and mega-spas heated by the Earth’s core.