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.

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.

An archeological dig in your back yard, as you discover what happened in your back yard 350 or 3500 years ago, if you live in England, where your history didn't begin 400 years ago. The dig begins today, and they fill the whole thing back in, after they've been at it for three days. The excitement of the discoveries uncovered as they occur, the involvement of the property owners and the neighbors as they find the history around them.

The uses of computer animation to show how things used to look (or might have looked!) and the technology that allows the scientists to 'look' into the ground even before the first shovel full of earth is turned over.

The show is seen in the US on the History Channel International channel, and is well worth looking up.

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.

Time team is without doubt the best telly show in the know universe. One day quantum archeologists from beyond infinity will dig some singularity trenches and discover traces of Time Team.

From this the profound discovery will be made; namely that there were pockets of humanity that were truly inspirational individuals.

Phil Harding is the absolute guv'nor.

Al out.