In Summer 2021, archaeologists from the University of Reading made a major discovery: the long lost monastery ruled by a prominent and hugely influential Anglo-Saxon queen. Cynethryth was the wife of Offa of Mercia, and a powerful queen in her own right – the only female ruler depicted on coinage at this time in all of Western Europe. The Reading team, led by Dr Gabor Thomas, made some amazing discoveries at Cookham village on the banks of the River Thames. Time Team's Dani Wootton...

You may have heard of the 'cottage core' trend that has captured many people's imaginations recently. While the concept might portray a slightly idealised view of countryside living, we thought it would be interesting to approach the rural dwelling from an archaeological perspective. Time Team archaeologist Dani Wootton catches up with buildings expert and gifted illustrator, Dr Richard Parker, to discuss some of the archaeological techniques used to understand the development of a building...

Introducing Neil Emmanuel – 2D graphic artist and motion graphics whizz, who featured on Time Team for 10 years and will be returning for our new digs this year. As well as sharing his Time Team memories, Neil tells us more about his excellent new book, 'The Middle Ages: A Graphic History', which he illustrated alongside author and historian, Dr Eleanor Janega. This brilliant read busts the myth of the ‘Dark Ages’, shedding light on the medieval period’s present-day relevance in a unique...

In this exclusive interview, the master of the historical thriller, Robert Harris, joins Time Team's Derek Pitman to discuss the inspiration behind his novels. Robert's books including 'Fatherland', 'Archangel' and 'Munich' often draw upon historical themes to construct intricate and engaging narratives, a blend a fiction and fact that immerses the reader is numerous histories and alternative histories. Robert transports us back to Ancient Rome, the setting for his landmark 'The Cicero...

Derek Pitman and Lawrence Shaw, best known for their 'Career in Ruins' podcast, join us for a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion on all things archaeology. The duo begin planning the (entirely hypothetical) 'Official Time Team Academy University of Learning Stuff About Archaeology', sharing insights on the fundamentals of their craft and adapting practices in response to Covid-19. What's more, they give us a taste of the latest gadgets available to archaeologists today – from Star Trek...

As we draw ever closer to the two brand new Time Team digs, members of the team share a range of perspectives on the Roman villa in Oxfordshire and the Iron Age settlement in Cornwall. Carenza Lewis, Helen Geake, Naomi Sewpaul, Stewart Ainsworth, John Gater, Miles Russell and Tim Taylor tell us what they are excited about and how they will be approaching the digs. As you can see, we're getting just a little bit excited! You can watch the original video interview that was recorded before...

Tim Taylor catches up with bestselling 'Labyrinth' author, Kate Mosse to discuss her latest novel, 'The City of Tears'. We always learn so much when talking to Kate and this conversation doesn't disappoint! Once again, Kate shares her breadth of knowledge on the genuine historic events, characters, locations and physical artefacts that inspire her fiction. We take a closer look at the fascinating role of reliquaries throughout history, and Kate reveals her own 'fantasy dig site' that...

This week, we're joined by 'Man with the Plan', Professor Henry Chapman – Time Team's resident surveyor. Professor Chapman, of the University of Birmingham, tells us about his study of bog bodies and why we should keep researching Stonehenge. He also shows us his 'long service award' for completing over 100 Time Team shoots! Discover Henry's fantasy dig site and what he thinks was the key to Time Team's success. You can also view the original video interview here.

Join us for this fascinating chat as Series Producer Tim Taylor and Archaeologist Helen Geake consider the importance of unveiling and recording ancient mosaics. Time Team is returning to dig a large Roman villa later this year on the Broughton estate, Oxfordshire. Of course, a potential floor mosaic is just one aspect of a much bigger picture that we hope to uncover at this site. So does it really matter if we find one? Tim and Helen make a compelling case for gleaning what we can in the...

Following the historic final of the Euro 2020 football tournament between England and Italy, Time Team takes a look at the history and archaeology of the 'beautiful game'. Variations of ball games have been enjoyed for thousands of years, from Ancient China, and the riotous folk football played across Europe in the Middle Ages, through to the modern game that developed over the last 150 or so years. It's a game of two halves, and Time Team's Dani Wootton is joined firstly by sports...

Our hugely popular and exclusive interview and catch up with our lifelong friend, Sir Tony Robinson, Time Team's presenter of 20 series and countless specials is now available to download and listen to on our podcast! While Tony is taking a step back from his presenting role, Time Team is in his blood and we're delighted announce Tony as our Honorary Patron and 'chief super-fan'! Tony told us: "I was delighted to hear about the plans for the next chapter in Time Team’s story. It’s an...

You're in for a real treat as we catch up with popular Time Team digger, trench supervisor, ever-willing historic re-enactor and all round good sport, Matt Williams! Matt recalls some of his most memorable moments on Time Team, including the time he unearthed the 'find of his life'. We also hear about what Matt is up to now and the various projects he's currently involved in. Of course, with two brand new Time Team digs on the way, the million dollar question is: Will Matt be returning to...

Tim Taylor catches up with graphic designer, architect and heritage consultant, Raysan Al-Kubaisi. Raysan shares his Time Team memories, his thoughts on the evolution of virtual reconstruction and the role of the heritage sector in New Zealand – where he now lives with fellow Time Team regular, Brigid Gallagher, and their family. We're thrilled that Raysan and Brigid will be lending their expertise to the new digs remotely from their New Zealand base. Tim and Raysan discuss some of the...

In this episode, we catch up with old friend, Mick ‘the Dig’ Worthington. Mick was the excavation supervisor on the first seven series of Time Team. He later returned as Mick ‘the Twig’ – a 'dendrochronologist’ using tree ring samples to date historic buildings and boats with pinpoint accuracy. Now based in Maryland, USA, Mick shares his thoughts on Nevis, fantasy dig sites, working at Mount Vernon and making the headlines. You can watch the original video interview here.

Tim Taylor meets Neil MacGregor, bestselling author and presenter of the wonderful 'A History of the World in 100 Objects', as featured on BBC Radio 4. Neil is no stranger to stunning artefacts, as former Director of both the British Museum and the National Gallery. Tim and Neil take a look at a series of intriguing historic objects, including some discovered by Time Team, as well as personal favourites from the British Museum's collection. These objects speak of the very fundamentals of...

We're thrilled that Kerry Ely – long running team member, prankster and all-round Mr Logistics – will be returning to the fold for this year's Roman villa dig! In this interview Tim Taylor catches up with Kerry to look back at his favourite moments and find out what he's up to now.  Kerry first joined the show as a digging archaeologist on the suggestion of his close friend, Mick Aston. He later moved into the production side and was key to organising everything on site, from helicopters to...

Join us for an exclusive interview with architectural historian, Dr Jonathan Foyle. Jonathan was a key member of the team on many episodes recently featured on Time Team Classics, including 'Keeping Up with the Georgians', 'The First Tudor Palace?', 'The Castle in the Round', 'School Diggers' and 'The Manor That's Back to Front'. Historic buildings expert, Jonathan remembers Syon House, shares his insights on (upcoming dig site) Broughton Castle and reveals his own fantasy dig sites, which...

Dani Wootton gets the lowdown on an incredible 1400-year old detective story, concerning the major rediscovery of an early Anglo-Saxon saint and member of the Kentish royal family. St Eanswythe was the grand-daughter of King Ethelbert of Kent and aunt of the two princes murdered at Eastry (featured in the Time Team episode S13E06). Local legend placed her mortal remains in the local church dedicated to her in Folkestone, Kent. Then, in the 1880s an ancient reliquary casket containing a pile...

Time Team regular guest, Dr Miles Russell takes us on a hypothetical tour of a Romano British villa. What types of rooms did it have? How many people lived there? How did the owners make their money and how did they spend it? Who else kept the estate running? Miles considers the importance today of uncovering, preserving and documenting mosaics before they are lost forever, while also calling to place every villa within the wider landscape it occupies. As we edge closer to our very own...

In the second part of our revealing interview with Kate Mosse, the bestselling author of Labyrinth, Citadel and Sepulchre discusses her fantasy digs sites, upcoming novel, The City of Tears, and why it's essential that Time Team returns.

We're joined by number one bestselling author of Labyrinth, Kate Mosse. In the first instalment of a revealing two-part interview, Kate discusses her involvement in the Women's Prize for Fiction (this year won by Maggie O'Farrell for Hamnet), her love of the Languedoc region of France and the inspiration behind her Carcasonne trilogy, which also includes Citadel and Sepulchre. Kate shares her love of archaeology, which began as a child growing up beside Fishbourne Roman Palace in Sussex,...

We're joined by Ken Follett, internationally bestselling author of epics including 'Pillars of the Earth' and 'Fall of Giants'. Ken tells Tim Taylor about the inspiration behind his latest Kingsbridge novel, 'The Evening and the Morning'. As you'll see, Ken is no stranger to Time Team and he shares his fascination with reconstructing ancient crafts and techniques from stone-masonry to forging coins. Which is Ken's favourite cathedral? What's he currently researching? Where is his fantasy...

In this episode we meet Martin Brown, the illustrator behind the gruesomely popular history books, famed for 'leaving the nasty bits in'. We'd like to think that Time Team shares some affinity with Horrible Histories, created at a similar time, in bringing the lives of the ordinary people from previous centuries back to life... At the heart of it all is a good story! So we tracked the lead illustrator of the series, Martin Brown for a chat. The effortlessly charming Aussie shares his...

This week, we're joined by good friend and historian, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. Suzannah explains what she finds so fascinating about the Tudors and sheds light on the 'Holy Grail' document that all Tudor historians want to get their hands on. We take a look back at Time Team's dig at Richmond Palace – the splendid, lost Thames-side royal residence where Queen Elizabeth I died. Suzie tells us more about her own experiences on the show and reveals her fantasy dig site, inspired by Henry...

We catch up with old friend Philippa Gregory, historian and bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen. We discuss Time Team's dig to find Syon Abbey, Philippa's knack for uncovering the stories of fascinating women throughout history, her latest series including Tide Lands, and a fantasy dig at the site of the Battle of Tewkesbury – one of the decisive moments in the War of the Roses. This is one interview not to be missed! Please note: This is an unabridged,...