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The Best Episodes of Time Team

Every episode of Time Team ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Time Team!

The Best Episodes of Time Team

Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on British Channel 4 from 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented...
  1. Background image for A Saintly Site - Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides
    9.0/10(29 votes)

    #1 - A Saintly Site - Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides

    S17:E2

    Time Team descend on the Isle of Mull at the invitation of two local amateur archaeologists to investigate a mysterious set of earthworks in a forest near Tobermory. Could they be the remains of a chapel from the time of St Columba?

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    Director:Unknown
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  2. Background image for The Celtic Spring - Llygadwy, Powys
    8.9/10(39 votes)

    #2 - The Celtic Spring - Llygadwy, Powys

    S8:E3

    In deepest Wales lies an extraordinary site, with a Megalith, a Neolithic tomb, a Norman watchtower, early Christian symbols, and a natural spring. From this spring, the landowner has recovered an astonishing variety of coins, sculptures and jewelry. It is almost too good to be true, rather like an ancient theme park. So begins one of Time Team's most remarkable digs. Geophysics shows no structure anywhere on the site. The megalith is far too shallow to have stayed upright for thousands of years. And when the team unearth a sword, they start to get suspicious. They are joined by Celtic ritual expert Miranda Green, architectural historian Will Hughes, and Iron Age specialist Ian Stead. Results show that the site has been 'salted' and the finds have all been placed or build between the 19th century and as late as the 1980s. More info can be found at Llygadwy.

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    Director:Unknown
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  3. Background image for The Trouble with Temples - Friars Wash, Hertfordshire
    8.8/10(19 votes)

    #3 - The Trouble with Temples - Friars Wash, Hertfordshire

    S16:E1

    Time Team has never found a Roman temple. But a 30-year-old photograph clearly shows double square cropmarks in a field. Surely this time they will strike lucky? The trouble is, the site may have suffered plough damage. Francis takes charge. Though initial excavations are encouraging, John and Stewart are puzzled by a geophysical anomaly. Including a tessellated pavement and a coin hoard, a picture gradually emerges of not one but four temples - in fact a whole complex of buildings. It proves to be one of the most important excavations in Time Team history.

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  4. Background image for Warriors - Figheldean, Wiltshire
    8.8/10(19 votes)

    #4 - Warriors - Figheldean, Wiltshire

    S20:E5

    Tony and the team work with veterans of the war in Afghanistan, investigating the ancient Barrow Clump on Salisbury Plain, where they discover burials from 2000BC and rare Saxon finds.

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  5. Background image for Seven Buckets and a Buckle - Breamore, Hampshire
    8.7/10(22 votes)

    #5 - Seven Buckets and a Buckle - Breamore, Hampshire

    S9:E13

    A Byzantine brass bucket was found during a 3-day live dig in a Saxon cemetery a year ago. Time Team returns to find out more about the people who lived and died here. Metal detectorists are called in to find non-ferrous metals, to complement Geophysics' magnetometer survey. They are joined by Anglo-Saxon specialist Andrew Reynolds, paleopathologist Alice Roberts and celebrity Sandi Toksvig. Sandi's ancestors were from Jutland, and Robin Bush argues that this whole area of Hampshire was actually occupied by Jutes before they were defeated by the Saxons under King Cadwalla in 686 AD. Ray Walton replicates a brass bucket, complete with inscriptions and silvering, from scratch. Osteoarchaeologist Margaret Cox tries to make sense of the burials including rare double burials – one of which uniquely has a child placed between two men. Finds include weapons and an exquisite enamelled belt buckle; and three more of the mysterious buckets, which all fit one inside the other.

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  6. Background image for The Roman's Panic - Ancaster, Lincolnshire
    8.6/10(22 votes)

    #6 - The Roman's Panic - Ancaster, Lincolnshire

    S9:E2

    Ancaster has yielded numerous Roman finds as well as a large cemetery with several sarcophagi from the period. In addition, the church is known in British archaeology for a Roman inscription dedicated to the deity Viridius. Phil finds the cemetery level, while Carenza discovers a layer filled with jumbled up human remains mixed with other bones. In the cemetery, Phil eventually uncovers the lid of a possible sarcophagus, and its excavation could thus require certain precautions due to the potential for lead poisoning and presence of biological hazards. However, the object proves to be a cist burial, as well as hazard-free. Incredibly, one of the cist slabs also turns out to contain yet another inscription to the god Viridius. In the end, the archaeologists suggest that the massive defences were ordered to be put up by the Roman central administration in Britain, and completely disrupted the original town layout.

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    Director:Unknown
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  8. Background image for An Ermine Street Pub - Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
    8.6/10(22 votes)

    #7 - An Ermine Street Pub - Cheshunt, Hertfordshire

    S9:E6

    It is 40 years since amateur archaeologists dug up Roman remains near Ermine Street, now hidden beneath Cheshunt Park. Time Team tell the story of the original excavation, using the detailed plan to conduct their own investigation. They believe the site's proximity to the road is the key to this dig. With some brilliant work by Stewart and John, they soon locate part of the road. Though frustratingly they cannot find any trace of it beneath the surface, they do find a brewery and possibly a pub. The brewing process is described by ancient technology expert Peter J. Reynolds. They conduct a mini-experiment comparing Roman surveying techniques with Henry's modern equipment. They are also joined by Roman experts Rosalind Niblett and Harvey Sheldon.

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  9. Background image for The Puzzle Of Picket's Farm - South Perrott, Dorset
    8.6/10(23 votes)

    #8 - The Puzzle Of Picket's Farm - South Perrott, Dorset

    S12:E10

    Time Team heads to South Perrott in Dorset, inspired by the intriguing discovery of Roman brooches and coins in a hilltop field. The Team are pretty sure they're going to uncover a Roman Temple, but the search gets off to a bad start when all the pottery turns out to be medieval and there's no sign of any buildings. Something has clearly been going on in this field, but it's not what they thought. The trenches gradually reveal their contents, painting a very different picture from a very different period. Have the Team stumbled across a Stone Age burial site that had, extraordinarily, been honoured for thousands of years right into Roman times? Prehistory specialist Miles Russell explains some aspects of Bronze Age features.

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  10. Background image for Time Team's Greatest Discoveries
    8.6/10(9 votes)

    #9 - Time Team's Greatest Discoveries

    S19:E13

    Revisiting digs that produced rare and fine jewellery, gold coins, huge and intricate mosaics - and some extraordinary archaeological fakery - Mick Aston, Phil Harding and Helen Geake defend and debate their choices for Time Team's greatest discoveries.

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  11. Background image for The Mosaic at the Bottom of the Garden - Cirencester, Gloucestershire
    8.5/10(33 votes)

    #10 - The Mosaic at the Bottom of the Garden - Cirencester, Gloucestershire

    S7:E2

    In 300 A.D. Corinium Dobunnorum was England's wealthiest city next to Londinium. Now it's the pleasant Gloucestershire town of Cirencester, and Time Team are visiting the leafy suburban Chester Street, where they hope the back gardens will yield clues about the bustling Roman city and its main highway, Ermine Street. Could a Roman temple have occupied this site - or even rarer, an early Christian church? They need to knock on a few doors to ask about digging up their plots. There is a bottle of champagne for anybody who can find a tessellated pavement. They are joined by Roman architectural historian Tom Blagg, coin expert Richard Reece and mosaic expert David Neal. The Ermine Street Guard offer Tony venison stew, and use a wooden crane to erect a stone column, fashioned by mason Giles MacDonald. In the public presentation, Stewart outlines a picture of the whole city, ably assisted by Victor's drawing. Among many Roman finds are coins, a brooch, a spoon and a bone die.

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  12. Background image for A Roman Temple in Sight of the Millennium Dome - Greenwich Park, London
    8.5/10(27 votes)

    #11 - A Roman Temple in Sight of the Millennium Dome - Greenwich Park, London

    S7:E11

    The team dig for Roman remains in Greenwich Park, London. They are joined by Hedley Swain from the Museum of London, Harvey Sheldon from the University of London and Mark Hassel from University College, London. Chris Owen (reconstructor) demonstrates Roman plastering techniques and ingredients, and paints a fresco with Victor. A remarkable find creates much excitement, boosting their hopes of identifying a Roman temple. Stewart suggests that Watling Street may have run through the park. For results and reconstruction see https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/greenwich-park/things-to-see-and-do/ancient-greenwich/roman-remains

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  13. Background image for Steptoe Et Filius - Yaverland, Isle of Wight
    8.5/10(17 votes)

    #12 - Steptoe Et Filius - Yaverland, Isle of Wight

    S9:E12

    Two years ago, local archaeologist Kevin Trott discovered Roman remains in a trench being dug for a water pipe. Unfortunately the trench had to be closed, and now Time Team are having trouble finding it. While Phil and the diggers look for the original trench, a full-scale field-walking exercise reveals many finds, both Roman and Iron Age; including a lot of bronze jewellery, seeming to show industrial activity. There are hints that enamelling was carried out here, so they decide to make their own enamelled hare brooch. Mick and Tony visit a nearby Roman villa with a detailed mosaic floor. On day three, Stewart spots some potential earthworks in a neighbouring field; so they decide to dig some exploratory trenches there. They end up with examples of activity from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman occupation, and Anglo-Saxon period. To cap it all, at the end of day three they find a rare Iron Age burial. The team are joined for the first of many digs by Anglo-Saxon expert Helen Geake.

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    Director:Unknown
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  14. Background image for Romans on the Range - High Ham, Somerset
    8.5/10(20 votes)

    #13 - Romans on the Range - High Ham, Somerset

    S18:E3

    Tony and the Team get a unique opportunity to dig at an army firing range at High Ham in Somerset and investigate a series of mosaics first discovered 150 years ago. Everything indicates a Roman villa, though perhaps not on such a grand scale. The inhabitants may have been Romanised Britons, living from the 2nd to the early 5th century. Matt volunteers as a slave for the day. When the cold east wind sets in, Phil and the other diggers temporarily "down tools". They are joined by Martin Brown from the Defence Estates and Roman finds specialist Philippa Walton.

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  15. Background image for Brancaster - Brancaster, Norfolk
    8.5/10(18 votes)

    #14 - Brancaster - Brancaster, Norfolk

    S20:E2

    Featuring the Team's largest ever range and number of items from Roman Britain and their most ambitious geophysics project to date.

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  16. Background image for The Man Who Bought a Castle - Alderton, Northamptonshire
    8.4/10(29 votes)

    #15 - The Man Who Bought a Castle - Alderton, Northamptonshire

    S8:E2

    Derek Batten bought a plot of land advertised as a castle and moat; but there is little sign of a castle other than a tree-covered mound surrounded by a huge ditch. So he has asked Time Team to sort it out. Because the site is a scheduled ancient monument, the team have to get permission from English Heritage for strictly limited excavations. To complicate matters further, Tony has to adjudicate on a long-running boundary dispute. The team is joined by castles expert Philip Dixon. Phil Harding gets kitted-out in chainmail as a Saxon footsoldier, facing a mounted Norman warrior on a Spanish stallion. The site is finally identified as a ringwork castle, built on a previous Saxon structure around the time of the Norman Conquest.

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    Director:Unknown
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  17. Background image for A Lost Roman City - Castleford, Yorkshire
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #16 - A Lost Roman City - Castleford, Yorkshire

    S9:E10

    The medieval castle of Beaudesert in Henley-in-Arden suddenly vanished without trace, leaving a single stone on top of a mound. The people want to know what it looked like. "The Mount" as it's called by the locals, is a popular beauty spot and has suffered from erosion. Also, as it's a scheduled monument, there are limits to what digging can take place. The castle was built by the de Montforts in the early 12th century. Henry and Stewart create a simple 3D clay model of the building, which follows the natural contours of the hill. It looks as if the castle was demolished and the pieces sold off in the 15th century. Using authentic tools, bowyer Steve Ralphs makes a medieval longbow, which is tested against a crossbow of a similar period. Castles expert Sarah Speight describes daily life in the castle. Finds include a section of carved pestle and mortar.

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    Director:Unknown
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  18. Background image for Back-Garden Archaeology: Revisiting a Roman Villa - Ipswich, Suffolk
    8.4/10(24 votes)

    #17 - Back-Garden Archaeology: Revisiting a Roman Villa - Ipswich, Suffolk

    S11:E11

    As renowned Suffolk archaeologist Basil Brown discovered, Castle Hill near Ipswich is named, not after a castle, but a substantial Roman villa. Brown was unable to complete his excavation, and Time Team have been called in by local schoolchildren to find out more. However, they will need to dig up a few back gardens to do so. Very soon it becomes clear that Brown's measurements were out of kilter. Halfway through day two, Phil makes a breakthrough. But not until 11 trenches are dug in 8 gardens does a full picture emerge. The team are joined by Roman specialist David Neale and site director Miles Russe

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    Director:Unknown
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  19. Background image for The Monastery and the Mansion - Nether Poppleton, Yorkshire
    8.4/10(26 votes)

    #18 - The Monastery and the Mansion - Nether Poppleton, Yorkshire

    S12:E2

    The villagers of Nether Poppleton, near York, join Tony Robinson and the team for some extensive digging as they try to determine the exact age of their village. The current layout follows a typical medieval pattern but a reference to the village in the Domesday Book has the experts thinking that it could date back to Saxon times at least.

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    Director:Unknown
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  20. Background image for The Bombers in the Marsh - Warton near Preston, Lancashire
    8.4/10(19 votes)

    #19 - The Bombers in the Marsh - Warton near Preston, Lancashire

    S12:E3

    On 29 November 1944, two US Douglas A-26 Invader bombers crashed in Warton Marsh. Both planes, along with a number of others, had left Warton Airbase in formation, en route to join forces in the preparations for the Battle of the Bulge. Only one minute off the runway and 1,000 feet into the air, the aircraft collided and came to rest in the marsh. All the crew died. Their bodies were recovered from the planes, but an investigation into the causes of the crash was inconclusive. For this programme, Time Team enlisted a veteran air crash investigator, along with the RAF's 'crash and smash' team and other experts to try to find out what caused the crash. Each of the planes, including the engines, was believed to be relatively intact and, it was hoped, would provide the necessary information to determine why these two planes collided.

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    Director:Unknown
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  21. Background image for Norman Neighbours - Skipsea, East Yorkshire
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #20 - Norman Neighbours - Skipsea, East Yorkshire

    S12:E11

    For years Time Team fan Frances Davies has been collecting finds from the field outside her back door in Skipsea in East Yorkshire. She has uncovered Neolithic, Roman and Saxon items, but her best finds are medieval pots dating from the Norman Conquest. It's clear that there was some habitation in the area 1,000 years ago, but a geophysics plot of the site reveals incredible results, far beyond the team's expectations. Could Frances have had a whole Norman village in her field, a village lost to the records? And could there be a clue in nearby Skipsea Castle, the seat of power of the Norman overlord of the whole area? The Team have three days to find out.

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  22. Background image for The First Tudor Palace? - Esher, Surrey
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #21 - The First Tudor Palace? - Esher, Surrey

    S13:E4

    The team visit Wayneflete Tower which is all that remains of a palace. Over three days they piece together the story of a site that evolved into one of the most stunning buildings of early Tudor times. They are joined by historic buildings expert Jonathan Foyle, John Guy (historian) and dendrochronologist Mick Worthington.

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    Director:Unknown
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  23. Background image for Finds on the Fairway - Isle of Man
    8.4/10(28 votes)

    #22 - Finds on the Fairway - Isle of Man

    S14:E1

    The team battle the tail end of Hurricane Gordon to investigate the last keeill standing, preserved beneath a golf course on the Isle of Man. A thousand years ago the island was dotted with these keeills, or small stone chapels, most of which have completely disappeared. Mick, an avowed enthusiast for early Christian buildings, is in his element. Sensational finds keep coming, including perfectly preserved plaited human hair, and a specimen of Ogham script. The team are joined by local archaeologist Andy Johnson, keeill expert Nick Johnson, and Viking specialist Dawn Hadley

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  24. Background image for Gold in the Moat - Codnor Castle, Derbyshire
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #23 - Gold in the Moat - Codnor Castle, Derbyshire

    S15:E1

    The crumbling ruins of Codnor Castle are a sad remnant of the imposing home of the De Grey family - knights who saw action in almost every important medieval battle including the crusades and Agincourt. Today Codnor Castle lies in ruins and there's almost nothing known of how it looked in its prime. As the remains above ground get an overdue renovation, the Time Team risk the dangers of hidden mine shafts in the Derbyshire coalfields to dig into the heart of a building that once dominated the landscape to trace the castle's history. It lives up to the team's hopes as they strike gold with a 600-year-old gold noble coin as well as uncovering a huge round tower and, for the first time in the history of the programme, a drawbridge.

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  25. Background image for Skeletons in the Shed - Blythburgh, Suffolk
    8.4/10(19 votes)

    #24 - Skeletons in the Shed - Blythburgh, Suffolk

    S16:E13

    Tony Robinson and the Team travel to the picturesque expanses of the Suffolk coast to investigate a very special back garden. When the new owners of a house in Blythburgh explored their potting shed they were shocked to discover a cupboard full of human skulls.

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    Director:Unknown
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  26. Background image for In the Halls of a Saxon King - Drayton, Oxfordshire
    8.4/10(23 votes)

    #25 - In the Halls of a Saxon King - Drayton, Oxfordshire

    S17:E4

    In Sutton Courtenay Tony Robinson and the Team investigate a set of buildings once occupied by Anglo Saxon royalty. It's the rarest of archaeological sites and uncovers the biggest Saxon building ever discovered in Britain. Aerial photography of an apparently featureless Oxfordshire field revealed crop marks that suggested to archaeologists it was once the site of an impressive collection of 1,400-year-old buildings; but Time Team's digging expertise was needed to verify this. The trenches are big and the archaeology complicated but slowly the Team begin to build up a picture of life here over 1,000 years ago, with the help of heroic Saxon poetry. As well as stunning finds and the perplexing possibility that they have uncovered an Anglo Saxon totem pole, the archaeologists also discover a culture where heroism, story telling and drinking go hand in hand, and learn the finer points of how to insult your colleagues in Old English.

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    Director:Unknown
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Best Episodes Summary

"A Saintly Site - Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides" is the best rated episode of "Time Team". It scored 9/10 based on 29 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 4/25/2010. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Celtic Spring - Llygadwy, Powys".