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''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network, which is independently operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fou ...
from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned online in 2022 for two episodes released on YouTube. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor
Tony Robinson Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television series ''Blackadder'' and has presented several historical documentarie ...
, each episode featured a team of specialists carrying out an
archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining the process in lay terms. The specialists changed throughout the programme's run, although it consistently included professional archaeologists such as
Mick Aston Michael Antony Aston (1 July 1946 – 24 June 2013) was an English archaeologist who specialised in Early Medieval landscape archaeology. Over the course of his career, he lectured at both the University of Bristol and University of Oxford an ...
, Carenza Lewis,
Francis Pryor Francis Manning Marlborough Pryor (born 13 January 1945) is an English archaeologist specialising in the study of the Bronze and Iron Ages in Britain. He is best known for his discovery and excavation of Flag Fen, a Bronze Age archaeological s ...
and Phil Harding. The sites excavated ranged in date from the
Palaeolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος '' lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone to ...
to the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In October 2012,
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network, which is independently operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fou ...
announced that the final series would be broadcast in 2013. Series 20 was screened from January–March 2013 and nine specials were screened between May 2013 and September 2014. In May 2021, Taylor announced the return of the series, with free episodes to be shown on YouTube.


Format

At the start of the programme, Tony Robinson explains, in an opening "piece to camera", the reasons for the team's visit to the site and during the dig, he enthusiastically encourages the archaeologists to explain their decisions, discoveries and conclusions. He tries to ensure that everything is comprehensible to the archaeologically uninitiated. The site is frequently suggested by a member of the viewing public. ''Time Team'' uncover as much as they can of the archaeology and history of the site in three days. Excavations are not just carried out to entertain viewers. Robinson claims that the archaeologists involved with ''Time Team'' have published more scientific papers on excavations carried out in the programme than all British university archaeology departments over the same period and that by 2013, the programme had become the biggest funder of field archaeology in the country.


Team members

A team of
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
s, usually led by
Mick Aston Michael Antony Aston (1 July 1946 – 24 June 2013) was an English archaeologist who specialised in Early Medieval landscape archaeology. Over the course of his career, he lectured at both the University of Bristol and University of Oxford an ...
or
Francis Pryor Francis Manning Marlborough Pryor (born 13 January 1945) is an English archaeologist specialising in the study of the Bronze and Iron Ages in Britain. He is best known for his discovery and excavation of Flag Fen, a Bronze Age archaeological s ...
(the latter usually heading
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
and
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
digs), including field archaeologist Phil Harding, congregate at a site, usually in Britain. The original ''Time Team'' line-up from 1994 has changed over the years. Historian and archivist
Robin Bush Robin James Edwin Bush (12 March 1943 – 22 June 2010) was the resident historian for the first nine series of Channel 4's archaeology series ''Time Team'', appearing in 39 episodes between 1994 and 2003. He also presented eight episodes of ...
was a regular in the first nine series, having been involved with the programme through his long friendship with Aston.
Architectural historian An architectural historian is a person who studies and writes about the history of architecture, and is regarded as an authority on it. Professional requirements As many architectural historians are employed at universities and other facilities ...
Beric Morley featured in ten episodes between 1995 and 2002. In 2005, Carenza Lewis left to pursue other interests. She was replaced by
Helen Geake Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...
, Anglo-Saxon specialist. The regular team also included: Stewart Ainsworth, landscape investigator;
John Gater John Gater is a British archaeological geophysicist who featured regularly on the Channel 4 archaeological television series ''Time Team''. He was educated at the University of Bradford and graduated with a BSc Archaeological Sciences in 1979. ...
and Chris Gaffney, archaeological geophysicists; Henry Chapman, surveyor; and
Victor Ambrus Victor Ambrus (born László Győző Ambrus, 19 August 1935 – 10 February 2021) was a Hungarian-born British illustrator of history, folk tales, and animal story books. He also became known from his appearances on the Channel 4 television ...
, illustrator. The team was supplemented by experts appropriate for the period and type of site.
Guy de la Bédoyère Guy Martyn Thorold Huchet de la Bédoyère (born November 1957) is a British historian who has published widely on Roman Britain and other subjects; and has appeared regularly on the Channel 4 archaeological television series ''Time Team'', ...
has often been present for
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
digs, as well as those involving the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
such as D-Day and aircraft (such as the
Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
). Architectural historian
Jonathan Foyle Jonathan Foyle is an architectural historian, broadcaster and advocate for heritage sites. He is also an artist. Background Foyle grew up in Market Deeping in Lincolnshire and attended The Deepings School. He has a Master of Arts from the ...
has appeared in episodes relating to excavations of country estates. Paul Blinkhorn (pottery), Mark Corney (coins), Carl Thorpe (pottery), and Jackie McKinley (bones) have appeared from time to time. Mick ‘the dig’ Worthington, an excavator in the early series, occasionally returned as a
dendrochronologist Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...
, whereupon he was dubbed 'Mick the twig'. Osteoarcheologist Margaret Cox often assisted with
forensic archaeology Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology and its various subfields, including forensic archaeology and forensic taphonomy, in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification o ...
, mainly between 1998–2005. Other specialists who appeared from time to time include historian
Bettany Hughes Bettany Mary Hughes (born May 1967) is an English historian, author and broadcaster, specialising in classical history. Her published books cover classical antiquity and myth, and the history of Istanbul. She is active in efforts to encourage ...
, archaeologist Gustav Milne, East of England specialist Ben Robinson, and David S. Neal, expert on Roman
mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
s.
Local historians Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...
also joined in when appropriate. In February 2012, it was announced that Aston had left the show due to format changes. The disputed changes included hiring anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota as a co-presenter, dispensing with other archaeologists and what he thought were plans to "cut down the informative stuff about the archaeology". "The time had come to leave. I never made any money out of it, but a lot of my soul went into it. I feel really, really angry about it," he told ''
British Archaeology The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity established in 1944 in the UK. It works to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and futu ...
'' magazine. ''Time Team'' producer Tim Taylor released a statement in response to the news reports saying "His concerns are of great importance to me. We have addressed some of them" and that "you’ve not heard the last of Mick on ''Time Team''". Regular team members in later years included archaeologist Neil Holbrook, Roman coins specialist Philippa Walton, and historian Sam Newton. Younger members of ''Time Team'' who made regular appearances include: Jenni Butterworth,
Raksha Dave Raksha Dave (born 22 August 1977) is an archaeologist and TV presenter, and is the current President of the Council for British Archaeology. Early life and education Dave graduated with a degree in Archaeology from the Institute of Archaeolo ...
, Kerry Ely, Brigid Gallagher, Rob Hedge, Katie Hirst,
Alex Langlands Alex Langlands is a British archaeologist and historian, also known for his work as a presenter of educational documentary series on British television and a lecturer of medieval history at Swansea University. Education Langlands has degrees ...
, Cassie Newland, Ian Powlesland,
Alice Roberts Alice May Roberts (born 19 May 1973) is an English biological anthropologist, biologist, television presenter and author. Since 2012 she has been Professor of the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. She was President ...
, Faye Simpson, Barney Sloane, Tracey Smith, and Matt Williams.


Production

''Time Team'' developed from an earlier Channel 4 programme, '' Time Signs'', first broadcast in 1991. Produced by Taylor, ''Time Signs'' had featured Aston and Harding, who went on to appear on ''Time Team''. Following that show's cancellation, Taylor went on to develop a more attractive format, producing the idea for ''Time Team'', which
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network, which is independently operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fou ...
also picked up, broadcasting the first series in 1994. ''Time Team'' has had many companion shows during its run, including '' Time Team Extra'' (1998), '' History Hunters'' (1998–1999) and '' Time Team Digs'' (2002), whilst several spin-off books have been published. The programme features special episodes, often
documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...
on history or archaeology and
live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...
episodes. The programme has been exported to 35 other countries. ''
Time Team America ''Time Team America'' is an American television series that airs on PBS. It premiered on July 8, 2009. It is an Oregon Public Broadcasting adaptation of the British show ''Time Team'', produced in collaboration with Channel 4, which commissioned th ...
'', a US version of the programme, was broadcast on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
in 2009. On 13 September 2007, during the filming of a
jousting reenactment Coined in the late 20th century by American stunt performer Kent Shelton, the term theatrical jousting refers to a form of live entertainment in which a medieval jousting tournament is recreated in conjunction with a scripted performance. Alterna ...
for a special episode of ''Time Team'', a splinter from a
balsa wood ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' bei ...
lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...
went through the eye-slit in the helmet of one of the participants and entered his eye socket. 54 year-old Paul Anthony Allen, a member of a re-enactment society, died a week later in hospital. Channel 4 stated that the programme would be shown, but without the re-enactment sequence. The episode, dedicated to Allen, was transmitted on 25 February 2008.


Cancellation

In 2012, Aston announced he was leaving the show after criticising format changes that focused less on archaeological activities.
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network, which is independently operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fou ...
subsequently announced that the final ''Time Team'' series would be broadcast in 2013. Viewing figures had been in decline from 2.5 million in 2008 to 1.5 million in November 2011. The regular ''Time Team'' programme ended on 24 March 2013. Aston died unexpectedly on 24 June 2013. In October 2013, Robinson said in an interview with ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
'' that he believed ''Time Team'' still had life in it and suggested that after a three- or four-year absence it could make a return. He also expressed support for a fan-organised Facebook campaign to bring the ''Time Team'' crew together again to carry out a dig in memory of Aston. The final ''Time Team'' special aired on 7 September 2014.


Revival

In December 2020, producer Tim Taylor announced that ''Time Team'' would begin airing episodes on a
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel called "Time Team Classics". Taylor also announced the launch of the ''Time Team''
Patreon Patreon (, ) is a membership platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. Patreon charges a com ...
page, allowing fans to financially support efforts to revive the series. On 29 January 2021, the project exceeded its goal of 3,000 patrons. On 17 May 2021, Taylor made an announcement on the return of the series, with episodes planned to air for free on the YouTube channel. Confirmed team members included Carenza Lewis,
John Gater John Gater is a British archaeological geophysicist who featured regularly on the Channel 4 archaeological television series ''Time Team''. He was educated at the University of Bradford and graduated with a BSc Archaeological Sciences in 1979. ...
,
Helen Geake Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...
, Stewart Ainsworth, Raysan Al-Kubaisi, Neil Emmanuel, Naomi Sewpaul, Matt Williams, Henry Chapman, Dani Wootton, Brigid Gallagher, Neil Holbrook,
Suzannah Lipscomb Suzannah Rebecca Gabriella Lipscomb (born 7 December 1978)
, Library of Congress Name Authority File
is a Britis ...
, Jimmy Adcock,
Natalie Haynes Natalie Louise Haynes (born 1974) is an English writer, broadcaster, classicist, and comedian. Early life Haynes was born in Birmingham, where she attended King Edward VI High School for Girls. She read Classics at Christ's College, Cambridge, ...
,
Derek Pitman Derek Pitman is a British archaeologist, lecturer, presenter, and deputy head of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Bournemouth University, specialised in ancient metallurgy and geophysical prospection. Education and career Pit ...
, Lawrence Shaw, Pete Spencer, and several returning production team members. In September 2021, it was announced that
Gus Casely-Hayford Augustus Lavinus Casely-Hayford (born 1964) is a British curator, cultural historian, broadcaster and lecturer with ancestral Ghanaian roots in the Casely-Hayford family, a cadet branch of the Cape Coast royal dynasty. He is presently the Dir ...
and
Natalie Haynes Natalie Louise Haynes (born 1974) is an English writer, broadcaster, classicist, and comedian. Early life Haynes was born in Birmingham, where she attended King Edward VI High School for Girls. She read Classics at Christ's College, Cambridge, ...
would present the revived series. Series 21 featured two three-part episodes, each covering a new dig conducted in 2021. The first of these episodes, which premiered between 18 and 20 March 2022, covered the excavation of an
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
settlement on the
Lizard Peninsula The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...
in Cornwall. The second episode premiered between 8 and 10 April 2022 and featured the excavation of a
Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Typology and distribution Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...
in the grounds of
Broughton Castle Broughton Castle is a medieval fortified manor house in the village of Broughton, which is about two miles south-west of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England, on the B4035 road (). It is the home of the Fiennes (in full Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes) ...
in Oxfordshire, discovered by
metal detectorist A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, ...
and amateur archaeologist Keith Westcott in 2016.


Music

The series' original theme music was composed by
Paul Greedus The Settlers are an English folk-orientated music group, originally from the English West Midlands, who formed in the mid-1960s. The band folded in the early 1980s, relaunched in 2018, and disbanded again in 2021. Formation and genre The gro ...
. The majority of the incidental tracks and main themes for many of the specials (Dinosaur Hunting in Montana, D-Day, The Big Dig etc) were composed by Steve Day.


Other formats

''Time Team's Big Dig'' was an expansion on the live format. A weekend of live broadcasts in June 2003 was preceded by a week of daily short programmes. It involved about a thousand members of the public in excavating test pits each one metre square by fifty centimetres deep. Most of these pits were in private gardens and the project stirred up controversies about approaches to
public archaeology Community archaeology is archaeology by the people for the people. The field is also known as public archaeology. There is debate about whether the terms are interchangeable; some believe that community archaeology is but one form of public archa ...
. ''Time Team's Big Roman Dig'' (2005) saw this format altered, in an attempt to avoid previous controversies, through the coverage of nine archaeological sites around the UK which were already under investigation by professional archaeologists. ''Time Team'' covered the action through live link-ups based at a Roman Villa at Dinnington in Somerset – itself a ''Time Team'' excavation from 2003. Over 60 other professionally supervised excavations were supported by ''Time Team'' and carried out around the country in association with the programme. A further hundred activities relating to Roman history were carried out by schools and other institutions around the UK. ''Time Team Specials'' are documentary programmes about topics in history and archaeology made by the same production company. They are generally presented by Robinson and often feature one or more of the familiar faces from the regular programme of ''Time Team''. In some cases the programme makers have followed the process of discovery at a large commercial or research excavation by another body, such as that to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the ending of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
at the
Vampire dugout The ''Vampire'' dugout (known locally in Belgium as the ''Vampyr'' dugout), is a First World War underground shelter located near the Belgian village of Zonnebeke. It was created as a British brigade headquarters in early 1918 by the 171st Tunnell ...
in
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. ''Time Team'' usually does not carry out excavations for these programmes, but may contribute a reconstruction. ''Time Team History of Britain'' saw Robinson and the team document everything they have learned up to now and show a history of Britain. ''Behind the Scenes of Time Team'' showed meetings of the archaeologists, and material not transmitted during the episode of the dig. ''10 Years of Time Team'' presented a round-up of what has happened in Time Team over the past 10 years and what they expect to happen in the future.


Influence

''Time Team'' has been credited with promoting archaeology in the UK. In a 2008 report produced by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
, a
working group A working group, or working party, is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. The groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdis ...
of Palaeolithic specialists recognised the importance of the show in "promoting public awareness" of Palaeolithic Britain, something which they argued was to be encouraged.


DVD releases

Complete series have been released in Australia starting with Series 15 in 2010. Since then, Series 12 (2014), Series 14 (2012), Series 16 (2010), Series 17 (2011), Series 18 (2012), Series 19 (2012) and Series 20 (2013) have all been released in Australia. 'Best Of' DVDs were released in the UK over the years; however, a complete series had never been released until Series 18 was released by Acorn Media UK on 6 February 2012. On 15 May 2012, Acorn Media released a collection of Roman-themed episodes on Region One DVD.


See also

* ''
Time Team America ''Time Team America'' is an American television series that airs on PBS. It premiered on July 8, 2009. It is an Oregon Public Broadcasting adaptation of the British show ''Time Team'', produced in collaboration with Channel 4, which commissioned th ...
'' – the American version of the show


Footnotes


References


Bibliography

* * ''
Current Archaeology ''Current Archaeology'' is a British monthly archaeology magazine. Summary ''Current Archaeology'' describes itself as the "United Kingdom's best selling archaeology magazine", a claim substantiated by British Archaeological Jobs and Resources ...
'' magazine * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* * * — contains latest news from digs * *
"Time Team geophysics: from pits to palaces"
– The Past, 1 February 2011 {{Authority control 1994 British television series debuts 2014 British television series endings 2000s British television series Archaeology of the United Kingdom Channel 4 original programming English-language television shows Experimental archaeology