This comedy Public Service Announcement urges cyclists in Denmark to wear a helmet, an issue of pressing importance given the number of accidents and injuries inflicted on cyclists without protection.

The film, which was shot in Denmark during the coldest and shortest day of the year, is set in the year 893 during the Viking era. It centres on Svend, leader of his small army, who refuses to wear a helmet before heading to invade England, because it messes up his braids and causes an itchy scalp.

90% of the Danish population owns a bike, cycling an average of 3.46km per day. The World Economic Forum named Copenhagen the world’s most cycle-friendly city. And yet helmets have never become as popular as cycling itself: 50% of Danish adults still fail to put on a helmet when biking.

We needed actors who would fit into a period film—people who wouldn’t look too modern or everyday—but who could also pull off the required comic timing. For the lead, it was important that whoever we cast was able to carry off the gravitas that preceded the comedy. The audience needed to take him seriously…until they didn’t. So we chose someone with a heroic cast—without a naturally “comic” face.