Starring Anders W Berthelsen (Italian for Beginners) and Lene Maria Christensen (Dicte) as the archaeological power couple Ester and Michael Toksvig, the new six-part Danish drama series The Excavation (Danefæ) premiered on June 15, 2025, on TV 2 Play and TV2 in Denmark.
Ester (Lene Maria Christensen) and Michael (Anders W. Berthelsen) in The Excavation (Danefæ). Photo: Henrik Ohsten/TV 2
Filmed at various locations across Denmark, the series follows archaeologist couple Ester and Michael Toksvig, whose marriage and careers collide when Michael diverts Ester’s funding for his own exhibition—driving her to uncover a history-altering murder mystery in a gripping showdown.
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Synopsis
Archaeologist couple Ester and Michael Toksvig are preparing for their silver wedding at their idyllic country estate. While Michael, Denmark’s leading archaeologist and director of the National Museum, is busy with a high-profile Harald Blåtand exhibition, Ester works at a small local Viking museum and hopes for funding for her own project. When Ester is denied the grant—and discovers Michael secured it for his exhibition instead—trust between them shatters.
As Michael faces political pressure to unite the nation with his exhibit, Ester stumbles upon a groundbreaking archaeological find: a thousand-year-old murder mystery that could upend Danish history and threaten Michael’s plans. Determined to solve the mystery on her own, Ester refuses to let Michael overshadow her again, setting the stage for a dramatic personal and professional showdown. Danefæ is a gripping story of ambition, betrayal, and the secrets buried beneath both marriage and history.
Director Dagur Kári. Photo: Henrik Ohsten/TV 2Head writer Lars K. Andersen. Photo: Uma Film/TV 2
The Characters
Lene Maria Christensen as Ester in The Excavation (Danefæ). Photo: Per Arnesen/TV 2
ESTER (Lene Maria Christensen)
Ester, 52, is an overqualified part-time archaeologist at the small Vikingemuseet Ladby, mainly cataloguing detector finds at her own pace. While she’s always supported her outgoing husband Michael’s career, Ester—introverted and thorough—is now ready to step out of his shadow and launch her own major exhibition about everyday life in the Viking Age, marking a turning point in her life and career.
Anders W. Berthelsen as Michael in The Excavation (Danefæ). Photo: Per Arnesen/TV 2
MICHAEL (Anders W. Berthelsen)
Michael Toksvig, 57, is the charismatic director of the National Museum and a famous media personality known as “Mr. Viking” for bringing the Viking Age to the public. While Ester handled research and family, Michael took the spotlight, shaping their joint work into acclaimed publications; deeply reliant on Ester, he now manages major exhibitions and navigates political pressures at the museum.
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Fanny Leander Bornedal as Liva in The Excavation (Danefæ). Photo: Per Arnesen/TV 2
LIVA (Fanny Leander Bornedal)
Liva, 24, is Ester and Michael’s eldest child and a trained landscape architect who has struggled to establish a permaculture garden on East Fyn. Shaped by a global upbringing on archaeological digs, she shares her father’s ambition and temperament but prefers working alone—leading to setbacks with her project and financial troubles—yet remains optimistic about her future.
Carl Tanke as Storm in The Excavation (Danefæ). Photo: Per Arnesen/TV 2
STORM (Carl Tange)
Storm, nearly 17, is dyslexic and creative, now attending a North Jutland boarding school to recover from a troubled past with drugs and a poor 9th-grade finish. Unlike his ambitious sister, he clashes with his father’s academic expectations but shares a close, affectionate bond with his mother, and is known for his charm, warmth, and sense of humor.
Birthe Neumann as Bitten in The Excavation (Danefæ). Photo: Henrik Ohsten/TV 2
BITTEN (Birthe Neumann)
Bitten, 77, is a sharp-tongued former shopkeeper from Ullerslev who ran her store alone after her husband died and never lets anyone control her. While she’s fond of her son-in-law Michael and glad he and Ester moved back to Funen; however, she’s always found Ester odd and credits Michael for Ester’s success.
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The ensemble cast for the series also includes actors Petrine Agger, Jakob Cedergren, Tina Gylling Mortensen, Sara Fanta Traore, Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt, and more.
Production& Funding
The Excavation is produced by Uma Film for TV 2, with producers Stinna Lassen and Claudia Saginario, and support from Public Service Puljen/DFI, FilmFyn, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education in Iceland (Ministeriet for Kultur, Innovation og Videregående Uddannelser i Island). Lea Løbger and Marlene Billie Andreasen serve as executive producers for TV 2.
About TV 2
TV 2 Danmark A/S is the company behind Denmark’s most-watched streaming service, TV 2 Play, and most watched channel, TV 2. TV 2 Danmark A/S is owned by the Danish state and the public service channel TV 2 is operated on a commercial basis. Until 2004, TV 2’s main channel received a smaller share of the license fees. Since 2012, the main channel TV 2 has been partially funded by subscription.
TV 2 aired on October 1, 1988, and less than three years later TV 2 had become the largest TV channel in Denmark. TV 2’s range of programs includes news, sports, documentaries, lifestyle, entertainment, and drama series. Additionally, TV 2 Danmark operates the TV channels TV 2 News, TV 2 Echo, TV 2 Charlie, TV 2 Fri, TV 2 Sport, TV 2 Sport X as well as tv2.dk – Denmark’s most popular news website.
Source: TV 2 Denmark Photo credits: Thomas Howalt Andersen/Per Arnesen/Henrik Ohsten/TV 2
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Starring Anders W Berthelsen (Italian for Beginners) and Lene Maria Christensen (Dicte) as the archaeological power couple Ester and Michael Toksvig, the new six-part Danish drama series The Excavation (Danefæ) premiered on June 15, 2025, on TV 2 Play and TV 2 in Denmark.
Filmed at various locations across Denmark, the series follows archaeologist couple Ester and Michael Toksvig, whose marriage and careers collide when Michael diverts Ester’s funding for his own exhibition—driving her to uncover a history-altering murder mystery in a gripping showdown.
Advertisement
Synopsis
Archaeologist couple Ester and Michael Toksvig are preparing for their silver wedding at their idyllic country estate. While Michael, Denmark’s leading archaeologist and director of the National Museum, is busy with a high-profile Harald Blåtand exhibition, Ester works at a small local Viking museum and hopes for funding for her own project. When Ester is denied the grant—and discovers Michael secured it for his exhibition instead—trust between them shatters.
As Michael faces political pressure to unite the nation with his exhibit, Ester stumbles upon a groundbreaking archaeological find: a thousand-year-old murder mystery that could upend Danish history and threaten Michael’s plans. Determined to solve the mystery on her own, Ester refuses to let Michael overshadow her again, setting the stage for a dramatic personal and professional showdown. Danefæ is a gripping story of ambition, betrayal, and the secrets buried beneath both marriage and history.
Watch the Danish trailer for The Excavation:
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The Creators
The Excavation is Directed by Dagur Kári (Dark Horse) and written by Lars K. Andersen (The Sommerdahl Murders), who serves as a head writer, with additional writing by Dunja Gry Jensen and Per Daumiller.
The Characters
ESTER (Lene Maria Christensen)
Ester, 52, is an overqualified part-time archaeologist at the small Vikingemuseet Ladby, mainly cataloguing detector finds at her own pace. While she’s always supported her outgoing husband Michael’s career, Ester—introverted and thorough—is now ready to step out of his shadow and launch her own major exhibition about everyday life in the Viking Age, marking a turning point in her life and career.
MICHAEL (Anders W. Berthelsen)
Michael Toksvig, 57, is the charismatic director of the National Museum and a famous media personality known as “Mr. Viking” for bringing the Viking Age to the public. While Ester handled research and family, Michael took the spotlight, shaping their joint work into acclaimed publications; deeply reliant on Ester, he now manages major exhibitions and navigates political pressures at the museum.
Advertisement
LIVA (Fanny Leander Bornedal)
Liva, 24, is Ester and Michael’s eldest child and a trained landscape architect who has struggled to establish a permaculture garden on East Fyn. Shaped by a global upbringing on archaeological digs, she shares her father’s ambition and temperament but prefers working alone—leading to setbacks with her project and financial troubles—yet remains optimistic about her future.
STORM (Carl Tange)
Storm, nearly 17, is dyslexic and creative, now attending a North Jutland boarding school to recover from a troubled past with drugs and a poor 9th-grade finish. Unlike his ambitious sister, he clashes with his father’s academic expectations but shares a close, affectionate bond with his mother, and is known for his charm, warmth, and sense of humor.
BITTEN (Birthe Neumann)
Bitten, 77, is a sharp-tongued former shopkeeper from Ullerslev who ran her store alone after her husband died and never lets anyone control her. While she’s fond of her son-in-law Michael and glad he and Ester moved back to Funen; however, she’s always found Ester odd and credits Michael for Ester’s success.
Advertisement
The ensemble cast for the series also includes actors Petrine Agger, Jakob Cedergren, Tina Gylling Mortensen, Sara Fanta Traore, Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt, and more.
Production & Funding
The Excavation is produced by Uma Film for TV 2, with producers Stinna Lassen and Claudia Saginario, and support from Public Service Puljen/DFI, FilmFyn, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education in Iceland (Ministeriet for Kultur, Innovation og Videregående Uddannelser i Island). Lea Løbger and Marlene Billie Andreasen serve as executive producers for TV 2.
About TV 2
TV 2 Danmark A/S is the company behind Denmark’s most-watched streaming service, TV 2 Play, and most watched channel, TV 2. TV 2 Danmark A/S is owned by the Danish state and the public service channel TV 2 is operated on a commercial basis. Until 2004, TV 2’s main channel received a smaller share of the license fees. Since 2012, the main channel TV 2 has been partially funded by subscription.
TV 2 aired on October 1, 1988, and less than three years later TV 2 had become the largest TV channel in Denmark. TV 2’s range of programs includes news, sports, documentaries, lifestyle, entertainment, and drama series. Additionally, TV 2 Danmark operates the TV channels TV 2 News, TV 2 Echo, TV 2 Charlie, TV 2 Fri, TV 2 Sport, TV 2 Sport X as well as tv2.dk – Denmark’s most popular news website.
Source: TV 2 Denmark Photo credits: Thomas Howalt Andersen/Per Arnesen/Henrik Ohsten/TV 2
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This post/page may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. For details, visit our Affiliate Disclosure page.
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