Everybody knows the story of how Time Team started: one ex-teacher turned TV producer, a couple of quirky archaeologists, and a fortuitous meeting in the Mediterranean with one of Britain’s best-loved actors combined to create the most successful archaeology programme ever on British television.
Everybody knows the story of how Time Team started: one ex-teacher turned TV producer, a couple of quirky archaeologists, and a fortuitous meeting in the Me ...Time Team started as an experiment and has become an institution. As the programme celebrates its 200th episode, we take a quick look back, and a sneaky peek forward, at the show that has brought archaeology to the masses.Of course, it is all in a day’s work for the creator and Series Producer of Time Team, and he has earned his perks after 18-plus years with the show. But I am jealous of the archaeology he is visiting, and most of all, I am curious about what is coming next.But what is so important about Time Team, after all? What is really left to say, after all the shows, books, DVDs, interviews and other media paraphernalia? One possible answer is clear: where would archaeology be, in the United Kingdom, without Time Team? Obviously, academic, research, and commercial archaeology have always been very successful; but the contribution the show has made to public awareness is huge.