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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 The Trouble with Temples - Friars Wash, Hertfordshire
    8.8/10(19 votes)

    #1 - 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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    Director:Unknown
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  2. Background image for Seven Buckets and a Buckle - Breamore, Hampshire
    8.7/10(23 votes)

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

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

    #4 - 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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    Director:Unknown
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  5. Background image for Time Team's Greatest Discoveries
    8.6/10(9 votes)

    #5 - 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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    Director:Unknown
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  6. Background image for The Mosaic at the Bottom of the Garden - Cirencester, Gloucestershire
    8.5/10(33 votes)

    #6 - 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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  8. Background image for A Roman Temple in Sight of the Millennium Dome - Greenwich Park, London
    8.5/10(28 votes)

    #7 - 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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    Director:Unknown
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  9. Background image for An Ermine Street Pub - Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
    8.5/10(23 votes)

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

    #9 - 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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  11. Background image for The Lost Villa - Tockenham, Wiltshire
    8.4/10(44 votes)

    #10 - The Lost Villa - Tockenham, Wiltshire

    S2:E3

    Tockenham village, in the Wiltshire countryside. Despite the fact that there are no Roman remains in Tockenham, the village's 15th century church, St Giles, has a small pagan Roman statue embedded in one of its outer walls.

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

    #11 - 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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  13. Background image for Back-Garden Archaeology: Revisiting a Roman Villa - Ipswich, Suffolk
    8.4/10(24 votes)

    #12 - 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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  14. Background image for The Monastery and the Mansion - Nether Poppleton, Yorkshire
    8.4/10(27 votes)

    #13 - 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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  15. Background image for The Bombers in the Marsh - Warton near Preston, Lancashire
    8.4/10(19 votes)

    #14 - 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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  16. Background image for Skeletons in the Shed - Blythburgh, Suffolk
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #15 - 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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  17. Background image for Reservoir Rituals - Tottiford Reservoir, Devon
    8.4/10(22 votes)

    #16 - Reservoir Rituals - Tottiford Reservoir, Devon

    S18:E1

    Tony Robinson and his team celebrate their 200th dig. Jane Marchand from Dartmoor National Park Authority was alerted by a walker to standing stones peering out of an East Devon reservoir at low level. This is Francis Pryor's dream site, but Mick has also been interested in Dartmoor for some time. They have stone circles, stone rows and cairns apparently dating from 3000 to 1500 BC. There is a central mound which interests Francis, and which Phil thinks is Stone Age, thus pre-dating the other monuments. But the cairns may be recent, throwing into doubt the dating of the other features. This is cultivated farmland, atypical of Dartmoor's usual bleak landscapes. John is dubious about getting any meaningful geophysics results, but proposes nevertheless to wheel his trolley through the mud. Stewart and Henry create a 3D image of the prehistoric landscape. Phil teaches Matt his favourite activity, flint-knapping.

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    Director:Unknown
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  18. Background image for Romans on the Range - High Ham, Somerset
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #17 - 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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    Director:Unknown
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  19. Background image for Cannons and Castles - Mont Orgueil, Jersey
    8.4/10(19 votes)

    #18 - Cannons and Castles - Mont Orgueil, Jersey

    S18:E8

    Tony Robinson heads to Jersey to investigate the origins of Mont Orgueil Castle. Today's castle is a Tudor structure built on earlier foundations, and it's that early castle, built by King John, that the Team are looking for.

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    Director:Unknown
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  20. Background image for Cornwall: Day Two
    8.4/10(5 votes)

    #19 - Cornwall: Day Two

    S21:E2

    The team's investigation into the Iron Age settlement continues and Natalie tries her hand at making some Bronze Age pottery.

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  21. Background image for Roman Villa - Turkdean, Gloucestershire
    8.3/10(32 votes)

    #20 - Roman Villa - Turkdean, Gloucestershire

    S5:E4

    3 days of live excavation. The weekend ended with evidence of a Romano-British villa complex that is one of the largest ever found in Britain. This programme is an edited version of that weekend. They discover that the villa dates from the very first days of the Roman occupation. Amongst their new finds is an entire, untouched Roman water course.

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  22. Background image for Dominican Friary Church and Norman Cathedral - Thetford, Norfolk
    8.3/10(28 votes)

    #21 - Dominican Friary Church and Norman Cathedral - Thetford, Norfolk

    S6:E3

    Time Team have been invited by pupils of Thetford Grammar School in Norfolk, to investigate the remains of a Dominican friary church and a 1,000-year-old Norman cathedral, in their playground. There is much interest from the pupils when the team excavate human bones. Ecclesiastical historian Janet Burton describes the origins of the Dominican Order. Stonemason Simon Williams gives a practical demonstration of medieval wall-building using knapped flint and lime mortar. Stained glass expert David King confirms medieval dates for fragments from the friary. The junior school makes a timeline frieze, complete with felt bishops and monks. It all ends in an open evening for parents.

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    Director:Unknown
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  23. Background image for Medieval Plympton - Plympton, Devon
    8.3/10(27 votes)

    #22 - Medieval Plympton - Plympton, Devon

    S6:E5

    In the 12th century many towns were designed and laid out on regular lines. The people of Plympton believe there is enough evidence to plot the layout of the medieval town which surrounds the ruins of their castle, and which was formerly owned by the immensely powerful and wealthy de Redvers family. As usual, Time Team have three days to find it. Back gardens and interiors will provide the clues, rather than frontages which have probably been altered many times in the last 800 years. So they will need plenty of help from local householders. They are joined by Plymouth city archaeologist Keith Ray and dendrochronologist Robert Howard.

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    Director:Unknown
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  24. Background image for A Bronze-Age Barrow and Walkway - Flag Fenn, Cambridgeshire
    8.3/10(28 votes)

    #23 - A Bronze-Age Barrow and Walkway - Flag Fenn, Cambridgeshire

    S7:E9

    The team have their work cut out in the Cambridgeshire fenland, looking for remnants of an ancient culture in the flat landscape. The long wooden track would function as a barrier, defence and ritual passage where votive offerings were placed in the water. At the end of it they hope to find a barrow - a circular Bronze Age burial mound. Dave Chapman constructs a bronze axe in a primitive furnace; while wood expert Maisie Taylor looks for a suitable handle in nearby woodland.

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    Director:Unknown
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  25. Background image for The Naughty Monastery - Chicksands, Bedfordshire
    8.3/10(20 votes)

    #24 - The Naughty Monastery - Chicksands, Bedfordshire

    S9:E4

    The team are invited to investigate the officers' mess of a military base in Bedfordshire, once home to monks and nuns of a 14th century Gilbertine Order. It was an experiment in unisex living. Jenni of Time Team volunteers to live like a nun during the dig, and is initiated by nunnery expert Roberta Gilchrist. John Ette from English Heritage monitors proceedings, and they are also joined by historian Richard K. Morris and osteoarchaeologist Margaret Cox. Robin Bush tells the miraculous tale of the Nun of Watton.

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    Director:Unknown
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  26. Background image for A Prehistoric Airfield - Throckmorton, Worcestershire
    8.3/10(21 votes)

    #25 - A Prehistoric Airfield - Throckmorton, Worcestershire

    S9:E9

    Hoping to uncover Bronze Age burials, the team descend on a disused airfield. But initial finds suggest the Iron Age, while geophysics shows plenty of circles and some larger rectangular enclosures. Jacqui Wood makes prehistoric cheese, and cooks a fish stew. Bronze Age enthusiast Francis Pryor gets excited about some faint track marks. They are joined by Malcolm Atkin and Robin Jackson from Worcestershire County Council, Ian George from English Heritage, and Iron Age expert Jeremy Taylor.

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Trouble with Temples - Friars Wash, Hertfordshire" is the best rated episode of "Time Team". It scored 8.8/10 based on 19 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/4/2009. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Seven Buckets and a Buckle - Breamore, Hampshire".