Time Team (specials)

Time Team (specials)
No. of episodes 59
Release
Original network Channel 4
Original release 28 December 1997 (1997-12-28) – 7 September 2014 (2014-09-07)

This is a list of Time Team Special episodes, aired between 1997 and 2014.

Format

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.

Regular contributors include: Tony Robinson (presenter); archaeologists Mick Aston, Phil Harding, Carenza Lewis, Helen Geake, Francis Pryor; Robin Bush, Guy de la Bedoyere (historians); Victor Ambrus (illustrator); Stewart Ainsworth (landscape investigator); John Gater, Chris Gaffney (Geophysics); Henry Chapman (surveyor); Mark Corney (Roman specialist).[1]

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.

Episodes (1997-2000)

1997

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
221"Christmas Special - Much Wenlock"Much Wenlock, ShropshireTBA28 December 1997 (1997-12-28)
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]

1999

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
442"Christmas Special - Barley Hall"Barley Hall, York53°57′40″N 1°04′57″W / 53.961241°N 1.082367°W / 53.961241; -1.082367 (Barley Hall)19 December 1999 (1999-12-19)
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]
453"The Mystery of Seahenge"Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk52°58′05″N 0°31′07″E / 52.967997°N 0.518536°E / 52.967997; 0.518536 (Seahenge)29 December 1999 (1999-12-29)
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.

2000

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
594"The Real King Arthur"TBATBA24 December 2000 (2000-12-24)
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.
605"The Mystery of Mine Howe"Tankerness, Orkney58°56′18″N 2°51′06″W / 58.938400°N 2.851794°W / 58.938400; -2.851794 (Mine Howe)27 December 2000 (2000-12-27)
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.

Episodes (2001-2005)

2001

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
706"Coventry's Lost Cathedral"Coventry, West MidlandsTBA8 March 2001 (2001-03-08)
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.
757"Island of the Eels"Ely, Cambridgeshire52°23′42″N 0°16′04″E / 52.395086°N 0.267727°E / 52.395086; 0.267727 (Island of the Eels)17 May 2001 (2001-05-17)
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]
768"Dinosaur Hunting"Dinosaur Belt, Montana, US47°48′40″N 112°10′56″W / 47.811155°N 112.182327°W / 47.811155; -112.182327 (Dinosaur Hunting)30 December 2001 (2001-12-30)
Robinson and Phil 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.

2002

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
909"The Big Dig in Canterbury"Canterbury, Kent51°16′37″N 1°04′54″E / 51.277013°N 1.081759°E / 51.277013; 1.081759 (Canterbury)15 April 2002 (2002-04-15)
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.
9110"Londinium, The Edge of Empire"London51°30′54″N 0°05′35″W / 51.514915°N 0.093061°W / 51.514915; -0.093061 (Londinium)22 April 2002 (2002-04-22)
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]
9211"The Wreck of Colossus"St Mary's, Isles of Scilly49°56′10″N 6°19′20″W / 49.935975°N 6.322117°W / 49.935975; -6.322117 (HMS Colossus)31 October 2002 (2002-10-31)
Robinson and Phil 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.

2003

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
10612"Hadrian's Well"TBATBA10 April 2003 (2003-04-10)
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]
10713"Big Dig, The Hole Story"Canterbury, KentTBA29 December 2003 (2003-12-29)
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, Essex, 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.

2004

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
12014"Sheffield Steel City"Sheffield, South Yorkshire53°23′09″N 1°27′56″W / 53.385858°N 1.465609°W / 53.385858; -1.465609
53°24′05″N 1°31′12″W / 53.401319°N 1.520046°W / 53.401319; -1.520046
53°22′55″N 1°28′31″W / 53.381912°N 1.475182°W / 53.381912; -1.475182 (Sheffield)		22 March 2004 (2004-03-22)
Time Team visit Sheffield in order to observe ARCUS, the Archaeological Research and Consultancy at the University of Sheffield, uncover parts of it's 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.
12215"The House in the Loch"Loch Tay, Perthshire56°34′19″N 4°04′58″W / 56.571940°N 4.082767°W / 56.571940; -4.082767 (Crannog in loch)19 April 2004 (2004-04-19)
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.
12316"The Ten Million Pound House"Ightham Mote, Kent51°15′31″N 0°16′11″E / 51.258473°N 0.269655°E / 51.258473; 0.269655 (Ten Million Pound House)3 May 2004 (2004-05-03)
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.
12417"D-Day"D-Day, Normandy49°19′27″N 0°35′44″W / 49.324187°N 0.595621°W / 49.324187; -0.595621 (D-Day)31 May 2004 (2004-05-31)
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.

2005

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
13818"King of Bling"Prittlewell, Essex51°33′13″N 0°42′30″E / 51.553514°N 0.708365°E / 51.553514; 0.708365 (Prittlewell)13 June 2005 (2005-06-13)
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.
13919"Britain's Lost Roman Circus"Colchester, Essex51°53′00″N 0°53′48″E / 51.883429°N 0.896732°E / 51.883429; 0.896732 (Camulodunum)20 June 2005 (2005-06-20)
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 Bedoyere 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. Phil 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.
14020"Life on the Edge 1000 B.C."Washingborough, Lincoln53°13′45″N 0°26′25″W / 53.229263°N 0.440213°W / 53.229263; -0.440213 (Washingborough)27 June 2005 (2005-06-27)
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]
14121"Journey to Stonehenge"Durrington, Wiltshire51°11′31″N 1°47′00″W / 51.191838°N 1.783245°W / 51.191838; -1.783245 (Durrington Walls)28 November 2005 (2005-11-28)
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 Phil Harding takes part in Time Team's biggest ever reconstruction, a great timber henge aligned to the mid-winter sunrise.

Episodes (2006-2010)

2006

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
14222"The Big Roman Villa"Dinnington, Somerset50°55′05″N 2°50′58″W / 50.918038°N 2.849563°W / 50.918038; -2.8495638 January 2006 (2006-01-08)
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.
15623"Buried By The Blitz"Shoreditch Park, London51°32′05″N 0°05′14″W / 51.534794°N 0.087354°W / 51.534794; -0.08735429 October 2006 (2006-10-29)
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War 2, 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 unmanned V1 and V2 rockets as well. Besides the evidence, the team seek out first-hand accounts of the area as well.
15724"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 / 51.483333; -0.604167 55°57′09″N 3°10′21″W / 55.9525°N 3.1725°W / 55.9525; -3.1725 51°30′03″N 0°08′31″W / 51.500833°N 0.141944°W / 51.500833; -0.14194431 December 2006 (2006-12-31)
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.

2007

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
16525"The God Of Gothic"Ramsgate, Kent51°19′41″N 1°24′35″E / 51.328172°N 1.409773°E / 51.328172; 1.409773 (Pugin)1 March 2007 (2007-03-01)
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.
17226"Britain's Drowned World"TBA51°04′45″N 1°40′22″E / 51.079069°N 1.672726°E / 51.079069; 1.672726 (Britain's Drowned World)24 April 2007 (2007-04-24)
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]
17327"Jamestown: America's Birthplace"Virginia, US37°12′37″N 76°46′50″W / 37.210397°N 76.780618°W / 37.210397; -76.780618 (Jamestown)1 May 2007 (2007-05-01)
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.
17428"Secrets of the Stately Garden"Prior Park51°21′54″N 2°20′40″W / 51.36500°N 2.34444°W / 51.36500; -2.3444427 August 2007 (2007-08-27)
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.

2008

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
17729"Codename: Ainsbrook"Thirsk, Yorkshire54°13′59″N 1°20′35″W / 54.233°N 1.343°W / 54.233; -1.34314 January 2008 (2008-01-14)
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.
18430"The Real Knights of the Round Table"Windsor Castle, Berkshire51°29′00″N 0°36′15″W / 51.483333°N 0.604167°W / 51.483333; -0.60416725 February 2008 (2008-02-25)
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.
19031"The Lost Dock of Liverpool"Liverpool, Merseyside53°24′11″N 2°59′18″W / 53.403030°N 2.988416°W / 53.403030; -2.988416 (The Lost Dock of Liverpool)21 April 2008 (2008-04-21)
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 Phil 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.
19132"Swords, Skulls and Strongholds"TBATBA19 May 2008 (2008-05-19)
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]
19233"The Lost WWI Bunker"Flanders, Belgium50°52′19″N 2°57′34″E / 50.872053°N 2.959452°E / 50.872053; 2.959452 (Lost WW1 Dugout)10 November 2008 (2008-11-10)[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.
19334"The Mystery of the Roman Treasure"TBA26 December 2008 (2008-12-26)
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.

2009

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
20735"Henry VIII's Lost Palaces"EnglandTBA13 April 2009 (2009-04-13)
20836"The Secrets of Stonehenge"Stonehenge, WiltshireTBA1 June 2009 (2009-06-01)
Robinson presents recent research from Britain's most iconic and mysterious monument. Set in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, it is believed to be part of a huge landscape, devoted to ritual on a massive scale. Time Team has been following an ambitious six-year dig involving over 40 trenches. The team believe they have resolved who built it, how it was built, and what it was built for. Mike Parker Pearson, the project director, explains that the site is a gigantic memorial to the dead ancestors. The Aubrey holes, a ring of 56 pits which are officially described as timber post holes, were actually a stone circle dedicated to the dead. There is a huge avenue linking the henge to the River Avon. It is connected to another site, Durrington Walls, which is believed to have been a timber circle contemporary with Stonehenge. The timber represents the living and the stone represents the dead. A neolithic roadway links Durrington to the river, and hence to Stonehenge itself. This puts the river at the centre of the whole picture, as a metaphor of a journey from life to death. There is much evidence of a large human settlement at Durrington, with huge quantities of bones showing feasting on a massive scale. People came from far and wide, to dispose of their dead, and make the symbolic journey from Durrington to Stonehenge.[14]
20937"Dover Castle"Dover, Kent51°07′47″N 1°19′17″E / 51.129628°N 1.321437°E / 51.129628; 1.321437 (Dover Castle)19 December 2009 (2009-12-19)

2010

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
21538"Nelson's Hospital"Gosport, Hampshire50°47′10″N 1°07′26″W / 50.786°N 1.124°W / 50.786; -1.124 (Royal Hospital Haslar)17 May 2010 (2010-05-17)
In the 18th century the Royal Navy was the most successful fighting force in the world. To maintain this status it desperately needed better ways of looking after its sick and wounded, so in 1746 it decided to build the best hospital the country had ever seen, near the Portsmouth dockyard at Haslar. Costing £100,000, it was the biggest construction project in the country, and for over 250 years the Royal Hospital Haslar treated sailors from The Battle of Trafalgar to the Gulf War, until in 2009 the hospital closed its doors for the last time.
21739"The Secrets of Westminster Abbey"Westminster Abbey, LondonTBA28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)
22040"The Real Vikings"TBATBA11 October 2010 (2010-10-11)
The Vikings are notoriously known as fearsome, axe-wielding warriors who relished their reputation as bloodthirsty invaders. But Robinson and the Team paint a new and much more complex picture of these skillful and enterprising people.They certainly did not wear helmets with horns. Starting with Lindisfarne in 793 AD they conquered half of Britain, and their reputation as heathen marauders during this period is fully justified. The berserkers, chewing on their shields and howling like animals, probably epitomise this universal image. There is much evidence of horrific massacres. But the Viking raiders were not the only settlers from Scandinavia. Recent excavations, for instance in York and Orkney, have also painted a picture of peaceful farmers, merchants and craftsmen, embracing Christianity and exerting a civilising influence on the country. In fact their influence spread across the entire known world, even into North America. The programme includes a look at some remarkable and beautiful treasures.[15]

Episodes (2011-2014)

2011

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
23141"Wars of the Roses"Bosworth, LeicestershireTBA16 March 2011 (2011-03-16)[16]
23642"The Somme's Secret Weapon"Mametz, Somme, FranceTBA14 April 2011 (2011-04-14)
Robinson and team are at a dig near Mametz in France. They are there to search for the remains of a Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector – a weapon believed to have been deployed for the first time on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.[17]
23843"Castle of the Saxon Kings"Bamburgh, Northumberland55°36′14″N 1°43′19″W / 55.60389°N 1.72194°W / 55.60389; -1.7219424 April 2011 (2011-04-24)[18]
Robinson and the Team help investigate the Saxon roots of Bamburgh Castle, high on rocky cliffs in Northumberland above the vast North Sea beach and with the magical island of Lindisfarne visible in the distance.
23944"Looking Underground"N/AN/A1 May 2011 (2011-05-01)[19]
Robinson and geophys boffin John Gater look back over 200 digs at the extraordinary achievements of cutting-edge geophysics technology, which has uncovered lost Roman villas, tombs, temples and ancient monuments, as well as a host of old broken tractor bits and enigmatic ditches.
24045"Boudica's Lost Tribe"N/AN/A4 May 2011 (2011-05-04)
Boudica is revered as one of the greatest female warriors in history. Robinson traces her story and follows a major excavation in Norfolk that may hold the key to uncovering what happened to Boudica's tribe after they were defeated by the Roman army.
24146"The Way We Lived"N/AN/A8 May 2011 (2011-05-08)[20]
Robinson and Mick Aston dig out the best bits of over 200 Time Team episodes to tell the story of how our domestic lives have changed over 10 millennia.
24247"Brunel's Last Launch"N/AN/A10 November 2011 (2011-11-10)
Robinson joins archaeologists as they discover why what went wrong with Brunel's SS Great Eastern in 1858.

2012

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
25148"Searching for Shakespeare's House"Stratford-upon-AvonN/A11 March 2012 (2012-03-11)
The team go in search of the home of William Shakespeare.
25549"Secrets of the Saxon Gold"See: Staffordshire HoardN/A22 April 2012 (2012-04-22)
An investigation of the Anglo-Saxon treasure discovered in Staffordshire in 2009.
25850"Rediscovering Ancient Britain"South Dorset Ridgeway, DorsetN/A17 June 2012 (2012-06-17)
The Time Team journeys along the length of the South Dorset Ridgeway and explores thousands of years of human occupation.[21]

2013

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
27251"Britain's Stone Age Tsunami"N/AN/A30 May 2013 (2013-05-30)
Robinson reveals astonishing new evidence that shows how, 8000 years ago, a huge tsunami swamped the east coast of Britain.[22]
27352"The Secret of Lincoln Jail"N/AN/A30 June 2013 (2013-06-30)
The team gain access to Lincoln's castle, its medieval dungeons and Victorian and Georgian jails.[23]
27453"The Lost Submarine of WWI"N/AN/A7 July 2013 (2013-07-07)
Robinson joins forces with expert diver and historian Innes McCartney to uncover the experimental origins of Britain's Royal Navy Submarine Service.[24]
27554"1066: The Lost Battlefield"Battle, East Sussex, EnglandN/A1 December 2013 (2013-12-01)
Robinson looks for where the Battle of Hastings was really fought.
27655"The Madness of Bedlam"Bishopsgate, City of LondonN/A1 December 2013 (2013-12-01)
The team investigate Bedlam Hospital, the world's first lunatic asylum that opened seven centuries ago.[25]

2014

Episode # Special # Episode Title Location Coordinates Original airdate
27756"The Edwardian Grand Designer"Castle Drogo, Drewsteignton, Devon, EnglandN/A23 February 2014 (2014-02-23)
Robinson goes behind the scenes of the National Trust's £11 million restoration of Castle Drogo in Devon, Britain's newest castle, and finds out about the life and work of its architect, Edwin Lutyens.[26]
27857"Britain's Bronze Age Mummies"Low Hauxley, Northumberland, EnglandN/A2 March 2014 (2014-03-02)
As Robinson discovers, there are gaps in historians' knowledge of the strange rituals, death rites and beliefs from 2500BC, when Britain entered the Bronze Age.[27]
27958"Secrets of the Body Snatchers"N/AN/A31 August 2014 (2014-08-31)
Robinson uncovers the truth behind some of the most gruesome events of the 19th century, when criminals would break open graves to steal freshly buried bodies.[28]
28059"The Boats That Made Britain"Dover, KentN/A7 September 2014 (2014-09-07)
In what is meant to be the last ever Time Team special, Robinson joins a team of experts as they strive to reconstruct the most intact Bronze Age boat ever found, discovered in 1992 in the Dover town centre.[29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Time Team Digs cast list". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  2. ↑ "Time Team Special 01: Much Wenlock, Shropshire". Unofficial Time Team Site. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  3. ↑ "Time Team Specials". Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "Time team - Island of the eels". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
  5. ↑ "Time Team - Londinium: the edge of empire". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  6. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Wreck of the Colossus - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
  7. ↑ "Hadrian's Well: a Time Team special". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  8. ↑ What can we learn from the excavation and building recording of cutlery sites in Sheffield? Accessed 16 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Life on the Edge 1000 BC". International Movie Databse. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  10. ↑ "Digging at the Palace". Time Team Big Royal Dig. Channel 4. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  11. ↑ "Britain's drowned world". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  12. ↑ "Swords, skulls & strongholds". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  13. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Lost WWI Bunker - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
  14. ↑ "Secrets of Stonehenge: a Time Team Special". IMDB. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  15. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Real Vikings - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
  16. ↑ "Time Team Specials - Wars of the Roses - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  17. ↑ "Time Team Special 42: The Somme's Secret Weapon". Unofficial Time Team Site. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  18. ↑ "Time Team Specials - Castle of the Saxon Kings - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  19. ↑ "Time Team Specials - Looking Underground - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  20. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Way We Lived - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  21. ↑ "Time Team Specials - Rediscovering Ancient Britain - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  22. ↑ "Time Team Specials - Britain's Stone Age Tsunami - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  23. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Secret of Lincoln Jail - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  24. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Lost Submarine of WWI - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  25. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Madeness of Bedlam - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
  26. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Edwardian Grand Designer - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
  27. ↑ "Time Team Specials - Britain's Bronze Age Mummies - Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
  28. ↑ "Time Team Specials - Secrets of the Body Snatchers- Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
  29. ↑ "Time Team Specials - The Boats That Made Britain- Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
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