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''Bonekickers'' is a

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drama about a team of archaeologists, set at the fictional Wessex University. It made its début on 8 July

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and ran for one series. It was written by ''

Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...

'' and '' Ashes to Ashes'' creators

Matthew Graham Matthew Graham is a British television writer, and the co-creator of the BBC/Kudos (production company), Kudos Film and Television science fiction series ''Life on Mars (UK TV series), Life on Mars'', which debuted in 2006 on BBC One and has re ...

and

Ashley Pharoah Ashley Pharoah (born 13 September 1959) is a British screenwriter and television producer. He is best known as the co-creator/writer of the successful drama series ''Life on Mars'', which began on BBC One in 2006, and creator/writer of the fami ...

. It was produced by Michele Buck and

Damien Timmer Damien Gerard Timmer (born 20 October 1968 in Chelsea, London) is an English Joint-Managing Director of British independent production company Mammoth Screen, which was established in 2007. He has executive produced ''Lost in Austen'', ''Wutheri ...

Mammoth Screen Ltd Mammoth Screen is a UK-based production company that was established in 2007 by Michele Buck and Damien Timmer. It produces drama for key UK broadcasters, especially ITV, and international distribution. Others may be looking for Mammoth Picture ...

and co-produced with Monastic Productions. Archaeologist and

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

academic

Mark Horton Mark Horton may refer to: * Mark Horton (archaeologist) (born 1956), British maritime and historical archaeologist, television presenter and writer * Mark Horton (bridge) (born 1950), British author, journalist and expert on bridge * Mary Ann Horto ...

acted as the series' archaeological consultant. Adrian Lester has described the programme as "'' CSI'' meets ''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

'' ..There's an element of the crime procedural show, there's science, conspiracy theories—and there's a big underlying mystery that goes through the whole six-episode series." Much of the series was filmed in the City of Bath,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, with locations including the University of Bath campus (which does not offer Archaeology courses). Additional locations included

Brean Down Fort Brean Down Fort was a Victorian naval fortification designed to protect the Bristol Channel. It was built above sea level on the headland at Brean Down, south of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. The site has a long history because of its ...

and

Kings Weston House Kings Weston House () is a historic building in Kings Weston Lane, Kingsweston, Bristol, England. History It was built between 1712 and 1719 was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh for Edward Southwell on the site of an earlier Tudor house, remodell ...

(both for episode 2),

Chavenage House Chavenage House, Beverston, Gloucestershire is a country house dating from the late 16th century. The house was built in 1576 and is constructed of Cotswold stone, with a Cotswold stone tiled roof. David Verey and Alan Brooks, in their Gloucester ...

for episodes 5 & 6 and

Sheldon Manor Sheldon Manor near Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, is Wiltshire's oldest inhabited manor house and dates back to Anglo-Saxon times. Its structure is mostly 17th-century, and it is a Grade I listed building. History The medieval settlement o ...

. On 21 November 2008

Broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

magazine revealed the show would not be returning for a second series.

Characters

* Dr Gillian Magwilde – the team's head archaeologist, played by

Julie Graham Julie Graham (born 24 July 1965) is a Scottish television and film actress. Career Graham has appeared in the Channel 4 ''Blood Red Roses'' (1986, filmed in East Kilbride). She also appeared in 1986 in an episode of ''Taggart'', “Death Call� ...

. Magwilde, a powerful, confident woman, is not afraid to take charge. When it comes to her relationship with the team she is less domineering, and goes with her instincts. Her attitude to Viv is a little waspish but as time progresses, she sees a lot of herself in Viv which is why she pushes her so hard. * Vivienne "Viv" Davis – young and promising archaeologist, played by

Gugu Mbatha-Raw Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw (; born 21 April 1983) is a British actress who is known for her performances on stage and screen. In 2017 she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama ...

. Her eagerness to work and learn always seem to be checked by Dr Magwilde. Her potential is flourishing and her capabilities are equal to any of her teammates. The only thing holding her back is experience, the one thing that she is forced to gain fast. * Dr Ben Ergha – a young, established archaeologist, played by

Adrian Lester Adrian Anthony Lester (born Anthony Harvey; 14 August 1968) is a British actor, director and writer. He is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, an Evening Standard Theatre Award and a Critics' Circle Theatre Award for his work on the Lo ...

. He is more welcoming of Viv compared to the others, and is the only one prepared to help her fit in. As a prominent character, much of the plot is seen through his eyes. * Professor Gregory "Dolly" Parton – the experienced and older male archaeologist, played by

Hugh Bonneville Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams (born 10 November 1963) is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series ''Downton Abbey''. His performance on the show earned him a nom ...

. Parton is the voice of wisdom and insight. At times he keeps to himself while working, but gets involved when needed. Parton is highly respected, laid-back and valued member of the team who will step in to focus the group in important situations. * Professor Daniel Mastiff – played by

Michael Maloney Michael Maloney (born 19 June 1957) is an English actor. Life and career Born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Maloney's first television appearance was as Peter Barkworth's teenage son in the 1979 drama series ''Telford's Change''. He made his ...

Episode guide

Reception

Ratings

According to unofficial figures, the first episode of the series was watched by 6.8 million viewers, achieving a 31% audience share. This fell to 5.2 million viewers with a 24.3% share in the second week, and 4.6 million with a 21% share in the third. And week four fell again to 4.2 million, a 20% share. Week five dropped to 3.8 million. The final episode saw a slight increase in viewers to 4.3 million.

First night reviews

The series debuted to broadly negative reviews. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''s Gareth McLean described the show as "mind-bogglingly dreadful", with "lame characters delivering abysmal lines", David Chater of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' thought it "rubbish", and ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''s Thomas Sutcliffe found it laughable and full of absurdities, while also observing that "Professor Magwilde's approach to archaeology is unconventional. She likes to squat at the edge of the trench and mutter urgently, 'Come on! Give up your secrets!'" In

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

's ''

Newsnight Review ''The Review Show'' was a British discussion programme dedicated to the arts which ran, under several titles, from 1994 to 2014. The programme featured a panel of guests who reviewed developments in the world of the arts and culture. History ' ...

'', the author

Kate Mosse Katharine Mosse (born 20 October 1961) is a British novelist, non-fiction and short story writer and Television presenter, broadcaster. She is best known for her 2005 novel ''Labyrinth (novel), Labyrinth'', which has been translated into more ...

asserted it would be "great for teenagers", while the academic and critic

Sarah Churchwell Sarah Bartlett Churchwell (born May 27, 1970) is a professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK. Her expertise is in 20th- and 21st-century American literature ...

said the "execution asappalling" and that it was "beyond silly"; John Mullan likewise criticised the show's absurdities, saying that "Hokum has to have its own logic". The New Statesman described it as "dramatic goo". Some reviews were slightly more positive - Patricia Wynn Davies of ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' wrote that while lacking in subtlety, the episode had an "action-packed conclusion", and Lucy Mangan in the ''Guardian'' criticised the episode as "arrant nonsense" and "a clattering bag of madness" and found its characters too "shouty", but praised Paul Rhys and overall concluded that the episode was "utterly bonkers but curiously satisfying" and that, as for the series, "keeping the faith for a few more weeks might well pay off".

Academic reception

In line with the broadly negative reviews, the reception amongst the academic community was mixed, with different complaints around technical accuracy.

, the academic advisor to the script, answered criticisms on the BRITARCH e-mail list.JISCMail - BRITARCH Archives - http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=ind0807&L=britarch&T=0&F=&S=&P=13436

Viewer complaints

A scene in the first episode which depicted a Muslim's beheading by an extremist Christian drew 100 complaints. The BBC expressed "regret" that some viewers had found the scene "inappropriate", but defended the decision to show it.

References

External links

* * *{{IMDb title, id=1148181, title=Bonekickers
University of Bath Archaeology Department
- Set up for Bonekickers
Ephemera: Archaeology on Television
- watch this short film by Sean Caveille about the portrayal of archaeology on TV BBC television dramas BBC high definition shows Archaeology in popular culture Fictional archaeologists Treasure hunt television series 2008 British television series debuts 2008 British television series endings 2000s British drama television series 2000s British television miniseries Television series by Mammoth Screen English-language television shows Television shows set in Somerset Television shows set in Bristol Television shows set in Gloucestershire Television shows set in England