Digging for Britain

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Prof Alice Roberts follows a year of British archaeology, joining up the results of digs.

A small island with a big history. Professor Alice Roberts reveals the fascinating world hidden beneath our feet, showcasing the latest finds of dedicated archaeologists.

Series 10

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Alice Roberts

Denis Minihan

Claire Riddell

Theo Williams

Verity Quinn

Jordan Smith

Rory Wheeler

Rare TV

Digging for Britain: Series 10: Mystery Shipwreck and a Roman Army Camp

Mystery Shipwreck and a Roman Army Camp

BBC Two - Digging for Britain, Series 10, Mystery Shipwreck and a Roman Army Camp

A Dutch gunship, a Cornish Roman fort and a Neolithic monument.

Alice Roberts reveals a Dutch ship sunk by the English, a Cornish Roman fort and a 5,000-year-old Neolithic monument.

This episode reveals more of the best archaeology happening in the south of Britain.

Five miles east of Bristol, hidden among ancient woods are some old ruins which could provide very rare evidence of a skirmish during the medieval civil war between two contenders for the British throne, Matilda and Stephen, in a period known as the Anarchy. 

This archaeological dig is led by Digging for Britain medieval expert Stuart Prior, who has been investigating if this was the site of a royal hunting lodge that was besieged during that long, chaotic 12th-century war. Alice Roberts joins Stuart to ask what happened to the lodge. Did it fall into ruin through neglect, was it demolished, or was it attacked? There is plenty of evidence uncovered that could solve the mystery.

Off the coast of Eastbourne, the Nautical Archaeology Society team dive to record and recover evidence that may finally solve the mystery identity of a ship whose wreck has been discovered over 30 metres deep. The wreck has over 30 huge bronze cannons, suggesting it was a warship, but it was also carrying a valuable cargo of marble and ceramics. Team leader Mark Beattie Edwards joins Alice in the tent to look at the remarkable artefacts recovered from the wreck and to finally reveal the ship's identity, before expert Onyaka Nubia digs into the archive to learn how many men were lost when she sank.

Alice journeys to Dorchester, where Victorian blockbuster novelist and amateur archaeologist Thomas Hardy built his dream house 135 years before. He didn't know it at the time, but it's possible he erected it right on top of a 5,000-year-old Neolithic circular enclosure. Now the National Trust is exploring the surrounding land to search for proof that the house and garden are encircled by a huge series of ditches, built at around the same time as Stonehenge.

We travel to the small village of Roche in Cornwall, where a big discovery has been made. Until now, the most westerly evidence of the invading Roman legions has been in Devon, but here, a team of archaeologists are helping redraw the map of the Roman military advance with the discovery of a marching camp big enough for an entire legion of 10,000 men. Stunning evidence of the brutal Roman ankle breaker defensive ditch provides a vivid idea of how thorough and professional this invading army was.

Finally, in Oxfordshire, archaeologists uncover deep cylindrical storage pits, one after another… after another. These pits date back to the first century BC, a time when the Thames Valley was being heavily exploited for growing cereal crops like emmer and spelt. But the well-drained sand and gravel also proved ideal conditions for storing the grain thanks to some prehistoric ingenuity. Later in their lives, the pits became rubbish pits and even graves, turning into fantastic time capsules for 21st-century investigation into Iron Age life. Alice gets a close look at the best finds from the site, including shears, a scythe and a stunning ammonite pendant.

Digging for Britain: Series 10

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

Alice Roberts returns with more archaeological discoveries found across the UK.

Alice Roberts returns with a revamped series featuring extraordinary archaeological discoveries found across the UK, from a spectacular Roman mosaic to a secret WWII bomber.

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