| Time Team | |
|---|---|
| specials | |
| No. of episodes | 59 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Original release | 28 December 1997 – 7 September 2014 |
This is a list of Time Team special episodes that aired between 1997 and 2014. These special episodes often depart somewhat from the regular Time Team format, by revisiting previous sites to do a follow-up story; travelling outside the UK to excavate other sites of interest; chronicling digs overseen by other organisations; or using information gleaned from other Time Team episodes to draw a more complete picture of ordinary life during a particular historical era. Other specials may focus on a dig with a particular holiday theme; a more complex excavation over a longer period than the standard three days; or a visit to a particularly famous historical site.
Most shows fit within a 1-hour time-slot (approx. 46–49 minutes of content), although some (e.g. episodes 3, 9, 26, 33, 35, 36) are longer at 1.25 hours of content, and some (i.e. episode 24) at 1.75 hours. Regular contributors include: presenter Tony Robinson; archaeologists Mick Aston, Phil Harding, Carenza Lewis, Helen Geake; historians Francis Pryor; Robin Bush, Guy de la Bedoyere, Sam Newton, Alex Langlands; illustrator Victor Ambrus; landscape investigator Stewart Ainsworth; geophysics John Gater, Chris Gaffney; surveyor Henry Chapman; and, Roman specialist Mark Corney.[1]
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 1 | "Christmas Special – Much Wenlock" | Much Wenlock, Shropshire | 52°35′46″N 2°33′26″W / 52.59603°N 2.55719°W | 28 December 1997 | |
| In this episode, the team go back to Much Wenlock in Shropshire, which they visited in the 1994 episode "The New Town of a Norman Prince", and from the Guildhall look back on previous Time Team sites to see what has happened since.[2] | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 2 | "Christmas Special – Barley Hall" | Barley Hall, York | 53°57′40″N 1°04′57″W / 53.961241°N 1.082367°W | 19 December 1999 | |
| Robinson presents this seasonal episode of Time Team from York's Barley Hall, where an extravagant Medieval Christmas celebration is in full swing. Looking back over previous digs, startling new evidence is revealed about one of the 'stars' unearthed on the show – a skeleton discovered during the live dig at Bawsey in Norfolk. He also revisits Reedham Marshes in Norfolk, to pay a special tribute to the crew of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress which crashed in February, 1944.[3] | ||||||
| 45 | 3 | "The Mystery of Seahenge" | Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk | 52°58′05″N 0°31′07″E / 52.967997°N 0.518536°E | 29 December 1999 | |
| In the spring of 2050 BCE, a huge oak tree was felled and its stump upturned and half-buried on a site near to what is now Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. The following year, a number of smaller oaks were felled and cut into 56 posts, which were arranged in a timber circle around the central stump. This Bronze Age monument, hailed by some modern archaeologists as among the most exciting ever discovered, could have formed some kind of ceremonial site, perhaps with special astronomical or other significance. The show reveals that its removal for conservation was vital but controversial, and shows efforts of Neopagans to disrupt the salvage.Time Team also build a replica nearby. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | 4 | "The Real King Arthur" | TBA | 50°40′05″N 4°45′36″W / 50.667974°N 4.759928°W | 24 December 2000 | |
| Time Team travel to Tintagel Castle to begin searching for evidence of King Arthur – a character well known as a great hero and legendary 'King of the Britons'. Modern research, however, reveals that most of what we know about Arthur is actually a myth, the creation of imaginative writers and propagandists such as Geoffrey of Monmouth and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Time Team searches for some of the truth behind the myth and mystery. | ||||||
| 60 | 5 | "The Mystery of Mine Howe" | Tankerness, Orkney | 58°56′18″N 2°51′06″W / 58.938400°N 2.851794°W | 27 December 2000 | |
| In September 1999, a local farmer rediscovered a mysterious underground structure - a flight of 17 stone steps descending to a half-landing and a further 11 steps descending to a chamber. The Team travels to Orkney, where local farmer Douglas Paterson went in search of the mysterious underground chamber, initially thought to be an ancient broch dwelling. Time Team film the excavation of the site and its surrounds for this year's Christmas documentary. Time Team also build a small replica nearby, and sections of a ditch surrounding the mound were also excavated. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 6 | "Coventry's Lost Cathedral" | Coventry, West Midlands | 52°24′32″N 1°30′32″W / 52.409°N 1.508833°W | 8 March 2001 | |
| Coventry's St. Mary's Priory and Cathedral, first consecrated in 1043, was thought to have been virtually obliterated by Henry VIII in the late 1530s. When Time Team went to Coventry in 1999, they found that a great deal more has survived than expected. The team went back to film the updated results. Using the extant walls as a guide, they are able to plot the expected dimensions of the cathedral. Comparing them with the surviving period architecture as best seen in Lichfield Cathedral, they soon locate the mosaic floors, broken pillars, and buried cellars of the buildings. Later, remains of a clerical burial that had survived Henry VIII's destruction of the monastery were uncovered. | ||||||
| 75 | 7 | "Island of the Eels" | Ely, Cambridgeshire | 52°23′42″N 0°16′04″E / 52.395086°N 0.267727°E | 17 May 2001 | |
| Time Team follow an excavation in Ely, which uncovers a remarkable picture of Cambridgeshire in past centuries. Explorations reveal numerous significant events in the areas history: an ancient area of marshlands surrounding the then Saxon city; channels where boats used to moor to load and unload goods; a medieval kiln with quantities of high-quality medieval pottery; and remains of a number of wooden buildings fronting the road at Broad Street.[4] | ||||||
| 76 | 8 | "Dinosaur Hunting" | Dinosaur Belt, Montana, US | 47°48′40″N 112°10′56″W / 47.811155°N 112.182327°W | 30 December 2001 | |
| Robinson and Harding travel to the Rocky Mountains in Montana, USA, for this special programme on dinosaurs and the professional and private 'dinosaur hunters' who seek and recover fossil remains. Accompanying several digs, they soon learn that the methods used by the dinosaur hunters turn out to be similar to those employed by archaeologists. After joining a museum dig to excavate the bones of various tyrannosauroids, they discover the profitable tourist industry that dinosaur hunting has spawned in the US. Their journey culminates in a trip to the Badlands, where they help dinosaur hunter Jack Horner dig up the remains of a tyrannosaurus. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 9 | "The Big Dig in Canterbury" | Canterbury, Kent | 51°16′37″N 1°04′54″E / 51.277013°N 1.081759°E | 15 April 2002 | |
| Time Team visit the centre of the ancient Roman and later Anglo-Saxon city of Canterbury, a large section of which was being excavated to make way for a huge shopping centre. They then join and follow local archaeologists in piecing together its rich 2000 year history within the nine-months allocated. They are joined by site co-directors Alison Hicks and Mark Houliston, Director of Canterbury Archaeological Trust Paul Bennett, project manager Helen Evans, and Sheila Sweetingborough (archive researcher). The show shows how progress is slow and hampered by poor weather, and reveals the challenges of marketing the dig to residents and local businesses. | ||||||
| 91 | 10 | "Londinium, The Edge of Empire" | London | 51°30′54″N 0°05′35″W / 51.514915°N 0.093061°W | 22 April 2002 | |
| 2000 years ago, the Romans founded what was to later become Britain's most important metropolis, Londinium. In Gresham Street, situated within the walls of the Roman city, Time Team monitor another nine month excavation, this time led by the Museum of London. Much of the recent history of the site has been lost to recent building activity. For two months they are hampered by heavy rain; and there is initially little evidence of any Roman activity in the surviving archaeology. Only hours before they are due to hand over a section to the developers, the diggers discover a remarkable piece of bronze sculpture, possibly the vandalised forearm of a Nero statue. Further digging reveals a possible Roman temple, an amphitheatre, an ancient barrel, and two sophisticated water wheels.[5] | ||||||
| 92 | 11 | "The Wreck of Colossus" | St Mary's, Isles of Scilly | 49°56′10″N 6°19′20″W / 49.935975°N 6.322117°W | 31 October 2002 | |
| Robinson and Harding from Time Team join divers from the British Government's Archaeological Diving Unit, fighting to recover a massive carved wooden statue and other artefacts from the shipwreck of HMS Colossus, and endeavour to piece together the loss of this Napoleonic-era 18th-century warship.[6] Using the reconditioned HMS Victory as a reference, it was clear that the carving was detail from the left-hand rear windows of the vessel. When permission to film the site became problematic in 2002, sonar and magnetic surveys (and associated divings) were also carried out elsewhere in the area. The statue was subsequently successfully retrieved and sent off for preservation. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 106 | 12 | "Hadrian's Well" | TBA | 51°30′54″N 0°05′35″W / 51.514915°N 0.093061°W | 10 April 2003 | |
| In 2001, in an excavation site in Gresham Street, London, archaeologists found the remnants of a wooden Roman water-lifting machine (see Special #10 above), representing cutting-edge technology 2000 years ago. A team of experts from various different disciplines is trying to create a working replica, and have it installed in the Museum of London in three months. They are joined by others from Time Team. But given the scant archaeological knowledge and evidence, what did it look like, how was it powered, and more importantly, how was it constructed? Some strong differences of opinion emerge, but a working device is finally installed.[7] | ||||||
| 107 | 13 | "Big Dig, The Hole Story" | Canterbury, Kent | TBA | 29 December 2003 | |
| Covers the Big Dig, where some 5,000 participants were encouraged to explore some of the archaeology in areas local to them. Alongside them, some 250 archaeologists volunteered their time to assist in the digs - although not everyone agreed with the project. Test pits, a 1 meter by 1 metre square hole some 60 centimetres deep were initially dug, with each process involving removing some 10 cm at a time. During the dig, some 1,200 pits ended up being dug, revealing rich layers of previously unknown archaeological evidence and finds, including "stunning new insights into long lost communities". 43 pits were dug, for example, in the village of Great Easton, Leicestershire, pushing back the dates of finds to the Roman era. Similar finds occurred in places such as Boxworth, Warrington, Stogumber, and Middlesbrough, all yielding important evidence for the post-excavation analysis record. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | 14 | "Sheffield Steel City" | Sheffield, South Yorkshire | 53°23′09″N 1°27′56″W / 53.385858°N 1.465609°W 53°24′05″N 1°31′12″W / 53.401319°N 1.520046°W 53°22′55″N 1°28′31″W / 53.381912°N 1.475182°W | 22 March 2004 | |
| Time Team visit Sheffield in order to observe ARCUS, the Archaeological Research and Consultancy at the University of Sheffield, uncover parts of its industrial Revolution past. In the centre of the old town, they examine ruined factories belonging to John Marshall, who established his Millsands steelworks on the site in the 1760s[8] To the north-east, they also examine excavated buildings at a steel forge in Wisewood, downstream from the Dale Dike Reservoir in Bradfield. Meanwhile, Phil tries to recreate a steel knife using traditional Sheffield methods. | ||||||
| 122 | 15 | "The House in the Loch" | Loch Tay, Perthshire | 56°34′19″N 4°04′58″W / 56.571940°N 4.082767°W | 19 April 2004 | |
| Robinson visits Scotland in order to observe a group dive led by Nicholas Dixon onto a collapsed but well-preserved iron-age loch dwelling. Also participating are six "Field School" archaeologists who will learn the basics of an underwater dig. The Oakbank Crannog they work on is located in the north-east of Loch Tay in Perthshire, where more 18 submerged crannogs have now been identified. A working example has now been reconstructed about a mile away on the south side of the loch at the Scottish Crannog Centre. The crannog itself is dated to about 600BC, and evidence shows it was rebuilt some six times of over the next 200 years. The anaerobic conditions help preserve the many wooden and organic artefacts recovered and now displayed or recreated at the Centre. | ||||||
| 123 | 16 | "The Ten Million Pound House" | Ightham Mote, Kent | 51°15′31″N 0°16′11″E / 51.258473°N 0.269655°E | 3 May 2004 | |
| Robinson and "Time Team" travel to Ightham in Kent to visit the "most complete moated manor house in the UK". Conservation work on Ightham Mote began by the National Trust in 1989 that involved dismantling much of the building and recording its construction methods before faithfully repairing, restoring, and rebuilding it. The project ended in early 2004 after revealing numerous examples of structural and ornamental features which had been covered up or altered by later modifications. It is estimated to have cost in excess of £10 million. | ||||||
| 124 | 17 | "D-Day" | D-Day, Normandy | 49°19′27″N 0°35′44″W / 49.324187°N 0.595621°W | 31 May 2004 | |
| To mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day, Time Team travel to Gold Beach in Normandy to retrace the movements of the Dorset Regiment on that day. The battalion, having landed near Bayeux were given three objectives: to capture "Point 54", to take a place known as "Herod's Well", and to silence a battery of nearby German guns. They were opposed along the way by elements of the German 352nd Infantry Division, who used trenches, barbed-wire, concrete bunkers, machine gun nests, and powerful anti-tank guns in defence. Using aerial photographic records, they identify period features that help them identify where to place their trenches. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 138 | 18 | "King of Bling" | Prittlewell, Essex | 51°33′13″N 0°42′30″E / 51.553514°N 0.708365°E | 13 June 2005 | |
| Time Team turn their attention to an important Royal Saxon tomb in Prittlewell, near Southend in Essex. During a routine road widening in late 2003, an impressive array of Saxon objects were uncovered, leading to an excavation by MoLAS. Further excitement centred around the discovery of an intact 7th century wood-lined burial chamber, and its precious high-status contents were comparable to similar regional discoveries in Broomfield, Taplow, and Sutton Hoo. As part of the show, a lyre was reconstructed from soil impressions and surviving metal pieces, and was played to accompany a funeral song sung for King Sæberht in Anglo-Saxon and English in St. Mary's Church in Southend. | ||||||
| 139 | 19 | "Britain's Lost Roman Circus" | Colchester, Essex | 51°53′00″N 0°53′48″E / 51.883429°N 0.896732°E | 20 June 2005 | |
| Time Team visit Colchester, a town well-known as rich in Roman remains, and tour a former military site due for redevelopment. On site, Robinson tells the story of the discovery of the only Roman circus ever found in Britain, south of Camulodunum's town walls. The team are joined by Philip Crummy of Colchester Archaeological Trust, Roman historian John Humphrey, and site supervisor Rob Masefield. Meanwhile Guy de la Bédoyère visits the Circus of Maxentius near Rome. As with the Circus Maximus, and the 50 or so others dotted around the empire, circuses were event spaces that were used for ludi, such as the popular ludi circenses. Harding helps wheelwright Robert Hurford to make a replica chariot, which is demonstrated by stuntman Jonathan Waterer. Other discoveries include a Roman era cemetery to the west of the circus. | ||||||
| 140 | 20 | "Life on the Edge 1000 B.C." | Washingborough, Lincoln | 53°13′45″N 0°26′25″W / 53.229263°N 0.440213°W | 27 June 2005 | |
| Robinson reports from the Witham Valley in Lincolnshire, where many spectacular late Bronze Age finds have recently been recovered. Funded by the Environment Agency, a 6-week winter dig is under way, in an attempt to get a picture of the partial-remains of ancient settlement before the rebuilding of local flood banks. The then tidal peatland of the fens provides a well-suited environment for the preservation of organic materials such as votive offerings or walkways. They also discover evidence of metal and antler working, suggesting the area's possible importance as a trade centre and port. In addition to Time Team experts such as Francis Pryor, contributors include wood expert Maisie Taylor, environmentalist James Rackham, conservator James White, and archaeometallurgist Gerry McDonnell.[9] | ||||||
| 141 | 21 | "Journey to Stonehenge" | Durrington, Wiltshire | 51°11′31″N 1°47′00″W / 51.191838°N 1.783245°W | 28 November 2005 | |
| In this episode, archaeology students excavate Durrington Walls, Britain's biggest neolithic henge, which dwarfs the nearby Stonehenge. Mike Parker Pearson explains to Time Team his revolutionary theory about the connection between the two sites, where the cremated remains of the dead would, after a winter funerary festival, be thrown into the nearby River Avon to travel downstream to join their ancestors. As they travelled downstream towards Stonehenge, the dead would then be transformed into spirits and pass into the afterlife. The discovery of a curved avenue (the first neolithic road found in Europe) leading from the henge to the river helps to bear out his theory – of the spiritual transition from wood and decay to stone and permanence. Meanwhile, Harding takes part in Time Team's biggest ever reconstruction, a great timber henge aligned to the mid-winter sunrise. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 | 22 | "The Big Roman Villa" | Dinnington, Somerset | 50°55′05″N 2°50′58″W / 50.918038°N 2.849563°W | 8 January 2006 | |
| Time Team first discovered evidence of a Roman villa in 2002 (programme aired 12 January 2003), providing context to the surviving but plough-damaged remnants of hypocaust mosaic flooring and foundations of a substantial and complex Roman-era country house. In the week-long second dig, in July 2005, the team is assisted by over 40 volunteers and students from University College Winchester. Evidence soon begins to show the grand multi-stage evolution of buildings on the site, and its orientation, via a driveway, to a nearby Roman road now known as Fosse Way. Recovered artefacts also suggest evidence of the wealth invested into the estate and its buildings, and the high quality of life enjoyed by its wealthy Romano-British owners. | ||||||
| 156 | 23 | "Buried By The Blitz" | Shoreditch Park, London | 51°32′05″N 0°05′14″W / 51.534794°N 0.087354°W | 29 October 2006 | |
| To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Museum of London organised a dig in July 2005 in Shoreditch Park. Given the rarity of excavations centred around this period, Time Team travel to east London where rows of Regency era terraced houses were destroyed during The Blitz. The dig reveals the shoddy foundations of a number of buildings (32-34 Dorchester Street) built in 1823 alongside artefacts such as toys and bottles. Down the road at numbers 17-18, which were destroyed on 29 December 1940, they uncover similar evidence. Later, the area was impacted by V1 and V2 rockets as well. Besides the evidence, the team seek out first-hand accounts of the area as well. | ||||||
| 157 | 24 | "Big Royal Dig" | Windsor Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse and Buckingham Palace | 51°29′00″N 0°36′15″W / 51.483333°N 0.604167°W 55°57′09″N 3°10′21″W / 55.9525°N 3.1725°W 51°30′03″N 0°08′31″W / 51.500833°N 0.141944°W | 31 December 2006 | |
| In this 2-hour special, timed to coincide with the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, Time Team (and special guest Neil Oliver) receive "unprecedented access" to three of Britain's most famous ancestral buildings in late August 2006. It also marked the 150th dig conducted by Time Team.[10] Tracing the history and evolution of each site, they begin with excavating a strange midden-like mound at Holyrood. They then turn their attention to the original structures and gardens of the former Buckingham House – in particular an ornamental canal and traces of the River Tyburn. Meanwhile, at Windsor Castle the team seeks evidence of Henry III's first building on the site – a great hall, and evidence of a Round Table (tournament) from the time of Edward III. Back at Holyrood, they search for evidence of a cloister destroyed by Henry VIII. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 165 | 25 | "The God Of Gothic" | Ramsgate, Kent | 51°19′41″N 1°24′35″E / 51.328172°N 1.409773°E | 1 March 2007 | |
| Robinson, with the help of experts like Grand Designs' Kevin McCloud, retrace how in just 20 working years, architect Augustus Pugin radically changed the architectural and interior design faces of Britain in the early Victorian era. Seeking to capture the essence of his massive legacy, Robinson travels to Ramsgate seeking The Grange – the house he designed, built, and decorated for himself – now being restored. He also visits St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham – Pugin's first major project, St Giles' Catholic Church, Cheadle, and Eastnore Castle. The last stop is a showcase of Pugin's perfectionist attention to detail in the rebuilt Houses of Parliament. | ||||||
| 172 | 26 | "Britain's Drowned World" | TBA | 51°04′45″N 1°40′22″E / 51.079069°N 1.672726°E | 24 April 2007 | |
| Time Team investigate the land which used to connect the island of Britain to Ireland, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark, before it was flooded by the North Sea 8,000 years ago after the last ice age. New research (including finds made by fishing boats) shows that in the Mesolithic, the area known as Doggerland was a fertile land with its own river systems, ecology, and fauna (such as rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephants, lions, sabre-tooth cats, and hyenas). At sites such as Boxgrove, Happisburgh, Swanscombe Star Carr, Bouldnor, Caldey Island, and Goldcliff, evidence of humans has been found, including a 485,000 year-old shin bone and a 700,000 year-old hand-axe. Other research, including rare finds from sites such as Lynford, also indicate the presence of Neanderthals.[11] | ||||||
| 173 | 27 | "Jamestown: America's Birthplace" | Virginia, US | 37°12′37″N 76°46′50″W / 37.210397°N 76.780618°W | 1 May 2007 | |
| Time Team travel to the site of "James Fort", in Jamestown, Virginia, the site of the first permanent English settlement in America, and now identified as the birthplace of the United States. In 1994, American archaeologist William Kelso finally located the site and dimensions of the original wooden fort built in 1607. Elsewhere on the site, "mud and stud" style houses have been traced to the architecture of east Lincolnshire, and were probably built by carpenter William Laxon. Next, the old well on the site proves a rich source of finds, including an iron halberd, hammer, pistol, name plate, and a child's shoe. Due to detailed records of the colony and its inhabitants it is possible to name specific individuals (such as Bartholomew Gosnold or John Martin) from their artefacts or remains. | ||||||
| 174 | 28 | "Secrets of the Stately Garden" | Prior Park | 51°21′54″N 2°20′40″W / 51.36500°N 2.34444°W | 27 August 2007 | |
| The team examine the expensive Enlightenment fad for landscape gardens, in particular, one designed by Capability Brown. To get a feel for naturalistic garden designs, Robinson travels to Prior Park near Bath, built by Ralph Allen and inspired by Alexander Pope, where a water cascade feature is being restored by the National Trust. At the Royal Society in London, he learns of the explosion of interest in the natural sciences at the time, an interest expressed in Greco-Roman inspired garden grottos and faux statues, temples and lakes. At Stowe House we see evidence of the vice/virtue dichotomy as portrayed in classical symbolism, and he travels to Rome and Hadrian's Villa to explore the comparisons further. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 177 | 29 | "Codename: Ainsbrook" | Thirsk, Yorkshire | 54°13′59″N 1°20′35″W / 54.233°N 1.343°W | 14 January 2008 | |
| Robinson reveals the discovery of a Viking hoard in a Yorkshire field in 2003 by local metal-detectorists. The site was reported to authorities, and artefacts were examined by PAS then sent to the British Museum for analysis. In late 2004, English Heritage funded a highly-secretive project, designed to protect the site from looting while it was being investigated. Geophysical surveys were taken, and trenches were begun in July 2005. It was learnt that the discoverers had found and sold thousands of items at various places on the site (code-named after the finders) over a 12-year period. The show reveals tension over investigative procedures, and the "true" valuation of a hoard – exposing a deeper rift between the practices of detectorists and the limitations of institutions. | ||||||
| 184 | 30 | "The Real Knights of the Round Table" | Windsor Castle, Berkshire | 51°29′00″N 0°36′15″W / 51.483333°N 0.604167°W | 25 February 2008 | |
| Robinson explains how Edward III decided to turn Arthurian myth into reality, and how in 2006 Time Team found traces of Edward's 1344 round-table building at the Big Royal Dig. Described as being 200 feet (61 m) across, extensive records exist of its construction between February and November that year. Bellver Castle in Majorca provides a possible model of a circular building, as does the Globe Theatre as a theatrical space. Around this time, tournaments were also regularly held, which re-enforced both a sense of chivalry and of vassalage – as were parliaments in chapter houses where Edward could source funding for his wars (such as Crecy). The timing of the campaign culminating in Crecy coincides with the rapid fading of the Arthurian-centric building from history. | ||||||
| 190 | 31 | "The Lost Dock of Liverpool" | Liverpool, Merseyside | 53°24′11″N 2°59′18″W / 53.403030°N 2.988416°W | 21 April 2008 | |
| Robinson introduces Liverpool as the innovative beating trading gateway to the British Empire – a stunning transformation from its sleepy backwater origins. Recent redevelopment work revealed its first dock, started in 1709 – a revolutionary "wet dock" design directly alongside the quayside, with gates to maintain water levels despite the tides, allowing all-day and direct loading and unloading of goods. With its plans lost to a fire, excavation work allows Harding a rare chance to re-examine and survey the site. The brick-dock ignited a flurry of development and industrial activity along streets radiating from the site, including slums and warehouses on reclaimed land called Nova Scotia. The show also examines the local effects of the profitable triangular trade of tobacco, sugar, and slavery. | ||||||
| 191 | 32 | "Swords, Skulls and Strongholds" | TBA | TBA | 19 May 2008 | |
| Robinson and other regulars present a radical picture of the British Iron Age, by concentrating on its charismatic hill forts. This period was virtually ignored by antiquarians, who assumed the structures related to the Roman conquest of Britain. Nevertheless, many of the tracks, boundaries, ditches, and hill defences are still visible or in use today. Modern archaeologists like Barry Cunliffe, Mike Parker Pearson, and J.D. Hill have thrown new light on structures such as Maiden Castle and Danebury, suggesting their function was social and religious rather than military. Other sites visited include Castell Henllys Yeavering Bell, Bamburgh Castle, the Uffington White Horse, and Stonea Camp.[12] | ||||||
| 192 | 33 | "The Lost WWI Bunker" | Flanders, Belgium | 50°52′19″N 2°57′34″E / 50.872053°N 2.959452°E | 10 November 2008[13] | |
| Robinson begins at the Ypres Salient, where during WWI, to avoid the deadly conditions on the surface, soldiers of both sides dug downwards for protection. In 2007 the team joins an expedition in Belgium in search of an allied bunker, one of 150 commissioned to be dug in the area, called the Vampire dugout. Created in late 1917 by 171st Tunnelling Company after the Battle of Passchendaele, it was 14 metres (46 ft) below Flanders and functioned as a brigade HQ. The bunker is soon located, excavated, and partially explored, and is found in remarkable condition considering its age. Artefacts and tools are found, reflecting the work of the soldiers within the space, although it seems to have been abandoned (as the Germans counter attacked) prior to finishing. | ||||||
| 193 | 34 | "The Mystery of the Roman Treasure" | TBA | 26 December 2008 | ||
| Robinson introduces the Sevso Treasure, a mysterious looted collection of 14 Roman silver items (weighing around 70kg) kept in the vaults at Bonhams auction house, and owned by the Marquess of Northampton. He examines the concept of provenance – the legal paper-trail supporting authenticity of ownership. He travels to Budapest, then Polgárdi, and the Hungarian Museum, where he learns details of how the Hungarian Government has been fighting for ownership of the treasure since 1990, and of the suspicious circumstances behind the death of its discoverer in 1980. Robinson then traces the murky high-stakes world of the illegal trade in antiquities, where the theft of items and damaging of sites robs the world of valuable historical knowledge. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 207 | 35 | "Henry VIII's Lost Palaces" | England | TBA | 13 April 2009 | |
| Time Team trace evidence of the palaces given to, or constructed by, Henry VIII. These include Hampton Court, and the now non-extant Beaulieu, Calais, Whitehall, and Nonsuch. The team start by digging in the grounds of New Hall School in search of Beaulieu's gatehouse, then move on to uncover evidence of its apartments and bay windows, and finally a chapel. The next stop is Guînes in France where they identify the site of the lavish Field of the Cloth of Gold. Back at Hampton Court, they have been given permission to excavate for traces of four demolished towers, and a Tudor-era bowling alley. Next, in London, they seek evidence in Whitehall of a wine-cellar under the Ministry of Defence building. Finally, they compare the extravagant design of Nonsuch with Italian renaissance architectural influences. | ||||||
| 208 | 36 | "The Secrets of Stonehenge" | Stonehenge, Wiltshire | 51°10′44″N 1°49′34″W / 51.178889°N 1.826111°W | 1 June 2009 | |
| Robinson details research from a six-year dig involving over 40 trenches at the Stonehenge site. Mike Parker Pearson, the project director, explains his theory that the stones function as a gigantic memorial to the dead. For example, the 56 Aubrey holes were a stone circle containing cremated human remains, and the 3km long Avenue a processional from the River Avon. The nearby Durrington Walls is believed to have been a contemporary timber palisade, with the wood possibly representing the living and the stone henge representing the dead, with the river as a conduit for ashes and souls. There is also evidence of a 1000-house settlement here, with refuse showing mid-winter feasting on a massive scale, as people came to honour the journey from life to death. The Cursus to the north of Stonehenge may have acted as a ceremonial separator. | ||||||
| 209 | 37 | "Dover Castle" | Dover, Kent | 51°07′47″N 1°19′17″E / 51.129628°N 1.321437°E | 19 December 2009 | |
| English Heritage is restoring Dover Castle, a fort built by Henry II and the most expensive secular building in Europe at the time, to its original 1180s condition. As a key fortress connecting Angevin France and England, it was one of many constructed at the time, but served as a centre-point of the empire and a showcase of his power. Between 2007 and 2009, £2.45 million was spent on recreating the appearance of the main keep's interior.[14] Around 250 people including academics and artisans were involved in researching and recreating period accurate items ranging from armour and weapons to furniture, clothing, utensils, and tapestries. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215 | 38 | "Nelson's Hospital" | Gosport, Hampshire | 50°47′10″N 1°07′26″W / 50.786°N 1.124°W | 17 May 2010 | |
| In 1745, the Royal Navy purchased Haslar Farm near the Portsmouth dockyard at Haslar in order to build Britain's first naval hospital. Costing £100,000, the 1800-bed structure was the biggest construction project in the country. Completed in 1753, Royal Hospital Haslar treated sailors until it closed in 2009. As part of its closure, Time Team document excavations of the hospital's 9-acre unmarked burial ground by Cranfield University. Of the 7,800 bodies calculated to lie there, some in multiple-burial plots, examination of 30 excavated skeletons reveals the dangers and hardships of life at the time, such as amputations, ulcers, diseases and scurvy. The hospital's first chief physician, James Lind, also pioneered new hygiene techniques that helped reduce mortality. | ||||||
| 217 | 39 | "The Secrets of Westminster Abbey" | Westminster Abbey, London | TBA | 28 June 2010 | |
| Robinson documents ongoing research, conservation and restoration projects at the abbey. He begins at the shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor, the founder of Westminster's first church in 1042. He also examines a forged charter written in the 1120-1130s allegedly confirming the abbey's right to hold coronations. Henry III then began the existing structure in 1245, including its rare and newly-restored "Cosmati pavement" at the high altar. After the site's transition to the Church of England, later elements reflect the shift to national cultural icons, such as Shakespeare, Handel or Darwin. Further, while little visible evidence remains of the 3000 people buried at the site, radar is helping to map detail underneath the flagstones. The episode concludes with the site's role as embodied in the British coronation. | ||||||
| 220 | 40 | "The Real Vikings" | TBA | TBA | 11 October 2010 | |
| Robinson and Time Team seek recent evidence that supports a new and more complex understanding of the Vikings.[15] Starting at Lindisfarne, Robinson explains how the record of the raid in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle cemented a reputation of the marauding berserker. However, the following 250 years now represent a significant Anglo-Scandinavian cultural legacy. Excavations, for instance in York and Orkney, paint a picture of settlers, farmers, merchants, and craftsmen, integrating into the local culture and religion. The Team spend time at the dig in Hungate in inner-city York, where finds similar to nearby Coppergate are found. They explore other aspects of Norse culture, such as sword metallurgy, jewellery, stone carving, bone tools, and extensive trade networks. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 231 | 41 | "Wars of the Roses" | Bosworth, Leicestershire | TBA | 16 March 2011[18] | |
| In this episode, Time Team reflect on the findings of a 5-year research project, led by Glenn Foard, at the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field,[16] including a rethink of the actual site of the battle.[17] Beginning at the traditional site, Ambion Hill, Robinson learns the actual site of the main battle, based on 33 gun shot finds, was about 3km to the south-west. However, evidence on the ground is sparse given the time frame, but recent research at Towton helped provide an archaeological standard for the work at Bosworth. Further, neutron tomography can be used to analyse the lead-iron shot. Using experimental archaeology, Harding helps make a cannon barrel from the period, while researchers test fire one in a field. | ||||||
| 236 | 42 | "The Somme's Secret Weapon" | Mametz, Somme, France | TBA | 14 April 2011 | |
| Robinson and the team are at a dig near Mametz in France searching for the remains of a Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector – a weapon believed to have been deployed in 4 locations for the first time on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.[19] The devices, each weighing 2.5 tons and requiring a 300-man crew, were pre-installed in a tunnel. One tunnel located at Kiel Trench south-west of Mametz, known from detailed diaries of the period as Sap 14, was built by the 183rd Tunnelling Company. Unfortunately, it was hit by a shell and the device was buried pre-attack. Excavations reveal tools and a few pieces of the machine. Back in the UK, the Royal Engineers also help to recreate and test one of the devices too. | ||||||
| 238 | 43 | "Castle of the Saxon Kings" | Bamburgh, Northumberland | 55°36′14″N 1°43′19″W / 55.60389°N 1.72194°W | 24 April 2011[20] | |
| Robinson and the team are invited by Bamburgh Research Project to help investigate Bamburgh Castle, a key fort high on rocky cliffs with Lindisfarne visible in the distance. Described by Bede as a royal city of the Northumbrian kings, the dig tries to find evidence of pre-Norman Saxon structures or relics. Bede also mentions a basilica near the castle's well, and there is evidence of a structure under the keep's lawn. Meanwhile, stone-masons endeavour to recreate a carved marble "gif-stōl" or throne, and others search for the castle's Anglo-Saxon village. Further, extensive burials of non-locals indicate the area's importance as a religious centre (to St Cuthbert) and regional trading hub. | ||||||
| 239 | 44 | "Looking Underground" | N/A | N/A | 1 May 2011[21] | |
| Robinson and geophysics specialist, John Gater, reflect back on 200 digs at the extraordinary achievements of cutting-edge technology, which has uncovered lost Roman villas, tombs, temples and ancient monuments, as well as other more mundane items. To better understand the technology, a number of everyday items are buried in a field and Gater is challenged to interpret them using his machines (eg. magnetometer, resistivity, radar). Robinson mentions Richard Atkinson's pioneering of the technology for archaeology in 1946, and Time Team's first use of it in 1993 at Athelney Abbey. The show's 100th episode returned to the site in 2003, with geophys providing new key details of the site. Other examples are provided too of how the technology has achieved results for the team. | ||||||
| 240 | 45 | "Boudica's Lost Tribe" | N/A | N/A | 4 May 2011 | |
| Robinson visits an excavation in Norfolk that may hold the key to uncovering what happened to Boudica's tribe after they were defeated by the Roman army. In 1928, an aerial reconnaissance flight of a farm near Caistor St Edmund rediscovered the ruins of Venta Icenorum. An archaeological dig quickly followed, but the site remained quiet until the University of Nottingham reopened it in 2009 seeking Iron Age structures. Discovery of the nearby Snettisham Hoard indicated goldsmithing of unparalleled quality in the region and Butser Ancient Farm also offers insights into daily life of the period. At Stonea, however, evidence of tension between the Romans and Iceni are seen, but the site in Caistor shows evidence of simply being a regional administrative "backwater". | ||||||
| 241 | 46 | "The Way We Lived" | N/A | N/A | 8 May 2011[22] | |
| Robinson and Aston tell the story of how domestic lives in the UK have changed over the last 10 millennia. Starting with Star Carr and Goldcliff, Robinson traces the early shift from Mesolithic nomadic cultures to Neolithic hunter-gatherers prehistoric Britain. Next, there is evidence of domestication within causewayed enclosures and Bronze Age land clearance, round-houses, and farming as seen at Bodmin Moor. In the Iron Age, as the population grew, hillforts such as Danebury then began to appear, followed by Mediterranean-style Roman towns (eg. Caerwent), villas (eg. Dinnington) and gardens. Anglo-Saxon remains are less obvious, though still present at places like Knave Hill, followed by Medieval style finds at High Worsall and pre-modern houses at St Fagans. | ||||||
| 242 | 47 | "Brunel's Last Launch" | N/A | N/A | 10 November 2011 | |
| Robinson joins archaeologists along the River Thames in London's East End as they research Brunel's SS Great Eastern. Designed to carry 11,000 tons of coal and 4,000 passengers to Australia, it weighed 12,000 tons and was five times larger than any previous vessel. Cutting edge technology for the time included steam engines, screw propellers, iron hulls, and plate rivets, as seen in HMS Warrior. A split parallel slipway was built at the Isle of Dogs for the large vessel, but archaeology has shown how they were not properly levelled, causing Brunel's ship to stick on its launch in November 1858. After finally launching, and facing financial problems, the ship never sailed to the East (instead being used in the Atlantic) and was scrapped in 1889–1890, with evidence of the hull still remaining at the final site. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251 | 48 | "Searching for Shakespeare's House" | Stratford-upon-Avon | 52°11′26″N 1°42′27″W / 52.19056°N 1.70750°W | 11 March 2012 | |
| The team join researchers from Birmingham University excavating the site of the William Shakespeare's home, New Place. Containing some 20 rooms, it was, at that time, the town's largest private house. In 1702, however, a new house nearer to the street was constructed on the site, and the exact placement of New Place was lost. New documents indicate a placement further back on the lot, and fronted by a gatehouse and courtyard, an area known to have not been excavated by a team organised by James Halliwell. Features explored include a possible laundry, a wall, an alehouse, and the house's gardens. Robinson also traces Shakespeare's life, from his parents' family home to The Rose Theatre, Mary Arden's Farm, and the Globe Theatre. | ||||||
| 255 | 49 | "Secrets of the Saxon Gold" | TBA | N/A | 22 April 2012 | |
| Robinson investigates the details surrounding a key Anglo-Saxon treasure, the Staffordshire Hoard, found near Hammerwich in July 2009. Discovered by metal detectorist Terry Herbert, an excavation undertaken by Birmingham Archaeology uncovered over 3,500 fragments, which were jointly purchased by two museums. Mystery surrounds from where the pieces (including seax decorations and crucifixes) were collected, why they were broken, and why they were then buried and abandoned. Helen Geake was brought in to help evaluate the finds, and the items were processed by both museums. As with Sutton Hoo, geophysicists, environmental archaeologists, metallurgists, and art historians then analysed the site and the objects. | ||||||
| 258 | 50 | "Rediscovering Ancient Britain" | South Dorset Ridgeway, Dorset | N/A | 17 June 2012 | |
| The Time Team journeys along the length of the South Dorset Ridgeway and explores its ancient occupation.[23] Running south of Dorchester, from West Bexington to Osmington Mills[24] it is a popular 27km long walking trail. Formed of limestone chalk, it was also a rich source of flint for tools, stone for monuments (eg The Grey Mare and her Colts), and material for henges and hill forts (eg. Maiden Castle and Chalbury). Using phenomenology, the team try to reinterpret the landscape, and with advances in radiocarbon dating, more precise dates. The introduction of bronze and then iron changed the lives of the people in the area forever, as did the sea-change linked to the arrival of the Romans. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 272 | 51 | "Britain's Stone Age Tsunami" | N/A | N/A | 30 May 2013 | |
| Robinson reveals new evidence that shows how, as the last ice age was waning, a huge tsunami hit the east coast of Scotland.[25] At Montrose, a thick sand layer within a clay deposit indicates a massive unique Mesolithic event 8,100 years ago. Similar evidence appears as far north as Shetland and as far south as Northumbria. At Star Carr, evidence of life at the time persists in the peat soils, and research on the now submerged Doggerland suggests a similar lifestyle. A 290km long underwater landslide off Norway, known as the Storegga Slide, however, sent a 3–6m high tsunami towards Britain. Finally, the collapse of Lake Agassiz released enough water to help inundate Doggerland and make Britain into an island. | ||||||
| 273 | 52 | "The Secret of Lincoln Jail" | N/A | N/A | 30 June 2013 | |
| The team visit Lincoln's castle, its medieval dungeons, and its Georgian and Victorian jails.[26] A £19m refurbishment of the castle and accompanying construction of a treasure vault allows access to some of the site's archaeology. Early medieval justice was often physical, and few criminals were actually incarcerated, but by the era of the Bloody Code, execution and transportation had become common. In the Georgian era, debtor's prisons were common, followed later by the penitentiary which aimed to reform inmates, as seen in Lincoln's 1847 prison. However, disease in the new building was a problem, and other reforms saw it close in 1878. | ||||||
| 274 | 53 | "The Lost Submarine of WWI" | N/A | N/A | 7 July 2013 | |
| Robinson joins forces with expert diver and historian Innes McCartney to uncover the experimental origins of Britain's Royal Navy Submarine Service.[27] Starting with a visit aboard HMS Ambush, Robinson contrasts it to the pioneering vessels such as the Holland-class submarines built for the Royal Navy. These prototypes had all the basic features of a submarine, including hybrid motors/engines, with improvements in handling. buoyancy, torpedo firing, and a periscope. Archaeologists dive on the wrecks of the Holland 5 and U-8 to learn more about their design and condition, and Harding visits the U-1 in Munich. In WWI, the race to contain the threat posed by submarines altered the naval aspect of the war in Europe. | ||||||
| 275 | 54 | "1066: The Lost Battlefield" | Battle, East Sussex, England | N/A | 1 December 2013 | |
| Robinson looks at the evidence re-examining where the Battle of Hastings was actually fought. Starting at Battle, the historic site of the conflict, he reveals the lack of any archaeological link to the fight. A 2012 theory, however, states that the English troops remained on Caldbec Hill and were met there by the Normans. An alternative location is also given as Crowhurst. Seeking proof, Time Team undertake a dig at both Caldbec and Battle Abbey for the very first time. Meanwhile, Robinson examines the Bayeux Tapestry and visits the British Library and a local museum looking for clues. The area is also surveyed with lidar, a first for an English battlefield. Scans reveal the natural bottleneck at Battle Abbey blocking the exit from the Hastings peninsula area, a spot that would have drawn the armies together. | ||||||
| 276 | 55 | "The Madness of Bedlam" | Bishopsgate, City of London | N/A | 1 December 2013 | |
| Robinson investigates Bethlehem Royal Hospital, the world's first lunatic asylum. Now located near Liverpool Street station, with no visible remains, the original structure was founded as the Priory of the New Order of our Lady of Bethlehem in 1247 on a desolate spot outside the city walls. Recent Crossrail building work enables the team to investigate a medieval graveyard with potential Bedlam internees. However, the earliest records of inmates only date to 1598. Skeletons from the site are analysed for signs of mistreatment, disease, and attempted remedies which differ depending on the era in which they lived. The anachronistic hospital's practices were eventually superseded by less punitive approaches, as seen at York Retreat from 1796. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 277 | 56 | "The Edwardian Grand Designer" | Castle Drogo, Drewsteignton, Devon, England | N/A | 23 February 2014 | |
| Robinson goes behind the scenes of the National Trust's £11 million restoration of Castle Drogo in Devon, Britain's last castle which was built between 1911 and 1930 for businessman Julius Drewe by architect Edwin Lutyens.[28] Styled as a "neo-Norman castle", by the 21st century, the structure's flat roof had begun to leak heavily, weakening its steel frame and threatening the structural integrity of the building. Robinson then follows Lutyens' life story, from the Arts and Crafts movement to fame via Country Life magazine, Classicism, war memorials such as The Cenotaph and Thiepval, and massive commissions in colonial India. | ||||||
| 278 | 57 | "Britain's Bronze Age Mummies" | Low Hauxley, Northumberland, England | N/A | 2 March 2014 | |
| Robinson learns that there are gaps in historians' knowledge of the rituals, death rites and beliefs from around 2500BC, when Neolithic Britain entered the Bronze Age.[29] Robinson visits a liminal excavation at an ancient burial site in Northumberland, near Lindisfarne, which is in a race against coastal erosion. The dig reveals a cairn, highlighting underlying belief systems and the perceived power of stones, as witnessed in similar structures seen in Orkney or at Stonehenge. In Cranborne Chase, holes drilled in bones from kistes (stone slab coffins) indicate an attempt to keep remains intact for ritual or social purposes. Robinson then visits Mike Parker Pearson to discuss British peat mummies and introduces the unifying role of shamanism. | ||||||
| 279 | 58 | "Secrets of the Body Snatchers" | N/A | N/A | 31 August 2014 | |
| Robinson explores a time in the 19th century when criminals would break open graves to steal freshly buried bodies for autopsy and dissection.[30] William Blizard from London Hospital, for example, supervised illegal uses of dead patients for the advancement of medical study. In 1831, however, there were 900 medical students in London alone against the legal body source of 9 hanged criminals. The Anatomy Act 1832 gave freer licence to doctors and medical students to dissect donated or unclaimed cadavers, and the supply was helped by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 and the developing railway system. It is estimated that over the following century, some 125,000 bodies were supplied for dissection. More recently, the Alder Hey scandal led to the reforms of the Human Tissue Act 2004. | ||||||
| 280 | 59 | "The Boats That Made Britain" | Dover, Kent | N/A | 7 September 2014 | |
| Robinson joins a team of experts as they strive to reconstruct the most intact Bronze Age boat ever found which was discovered in 1992 under 2 metres of silt in the Dover town centre.[31] The 17 metres (56 ft) long and 2.5 metre wide oak craft, lashed together by cleats and without nails, was incomplete, and parts had been removed in antiquity. Probably used as a cross-channel tin and bronze trading vessel, it was waterproofed with moss and beeswax to make it seaworthy. To help explain the mystery regarding its shape and construction, at Dover Museum in 2014, experts (aided by Phil Harding and Francis Pryor) undertook experimental archaeology to construct and sail a 1/2 scale sewn-plank replica with supporting evidence from contemporary finds in Ferriby. | ||||||
| Episode # | Special # | Episode Title | Location | Coordinates | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 285 | 60 | "Digging Band of Brothers" | Aldbourne, Wiltshire | N/A | 30 September 2023 | |
|
He's back! Sir Tony Robinson returns to Time Team to investigate the US 101st Airborne Division in Britain. Time Team have been invited to Aldbourne, Wiltshire, by Operation Nightingale, on the 80th anniversary since Easy Company were stationed here in 1943, shortly before D-Day. Working alongside service men and women from the US and UK, the team have just over a week to investigate the camp, once home to the iconic 'Band of Brothers'.[32] | ||||||