Time Team

Although it can be seen every day, all year round on the Discovery channels, new series are filmed in the summer and broadcast very early the following year. Obviously Live digs are different and potentially more exciting. I like Tony Robinson and Mick Aston, but my two favourites are Carrenza Lewis and Phil Harding. In the past few years, Phil has been in danger of being a bit of a caricature with his hat with the feather and his shorts regardless of the weather. He needs nothing extra to be the star of the show as he exudes both enthusiasm and professionalism. My favourite programmes are the roman digs when there is always something to see. Mr least favourite are those from prehistoric times.

Now in it's 12th series, Time Team is a programme I have grown up with and come to know the 'team' as almost part of the family. Now as an adult I can fully appreciate the historical value of the show as well as the entertainment value. Tony Robinson is a great host with an 'ordinary joe' approach to Archaeology that neither excludes nor patronizes the viewer. Mick Aston is the go-between professory type whose novel outlook on a 'stuffy' profession is fresh and appreciated. The diggers are obviously the crux of the show with Carenza Lewis, Mick Worthington and the irrepressible Phil Harding on hand to uncover (or sometimes not) the secrets that lay buried. And then there is landscape archaeologist, Stewart Ainsworth, whose insight and knowledge of the areas is amazing to watch and, after finding hidden evidence in maps and photographs is often the star of the show.

So well done to all who are involved in Time Team and I hope this continues to be a long and happy friendship.

Each show covers one archaeological dig - start to finish - incorporating the expertise of historians, anthropologists, paleontologists, area locals, geo-physicists, cartographers and area surveyors to name but a few. The team use artists to both sketch out archaic scenes as well as design computer graphics to show 3 dimensional perspectives of once existing structures. Adding re-enactments, experiments and the rebuilding of artifacts by modern experts only adds to the diversity of the show.

The holistic approach to the dig-site provides a fascinating, multi-tiered study that is accessible to the viewer, regardless of their background.

Time Team has now entertained the likes of myself for 10 years. With episodes like the 2 visits to Turkdean or the Mosaic at Dinnington or even the thousands of tons of soil moved to reveal the viaduct in Wales, how can you help but be in awe at the speed Tony, Mick, Carenza, Phil and all the hard working diggers excavate sometimes hard to work sites. I haven't missed many episodes and if I have it will only be some of the very early ones. I hope they never stop making this unmissable piece of entertaining education.

This is the show to watch and it had to be a dream job for the professionals working on this show for 20 years. All the different sites they got to dig that would take most archaeologists several lifetimes to visit. Don't let Phil Harding's happy go lucky attitude fool you, he's as smart as anyone in his field, possibly smarter. Mick Aston is another incredibly knowledgeable part of the team and the team leader who got the shaft later in the series by Channel 4 causing him to quit when they brought in some spokeswoman former model - on an archaeology show, I don't blame him. There are several other professionals that are regulars on the show who are also very well versed in their fields of expertise and they occasionally bring in specialists like pottery or weapons specialists and an osteoarchaeologist on occasion. The end of one episode a man said he learned 3 things in the 3 days the Time Team was there and the 3rd and final thing he learned was Phil Harding could really put back the beer, which is hilarious and not surprising. He's my favorite person on the show, and he will be yours too. Almost the entire series is available on Amazon Prime video.