DocumentaryMysteryChannel 4YouTube

The Worst Episodes of Time Team

Every episode of Time Team ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Time Team!

Worst episode
S16E10 Called to the Bar - Lincoln’s Inn, London
6.716 votes
Best episode
S17E2 A Saintly Site - Isle of Mull, Inner Hebrides
9.034 votes
Top season
Season 21
8.3avg
Binge time
9d 17h
283 episodes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons25

All12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
    Click to reveal
    Time Team Season 16 Episode 10 - Called to the Bar - Lincoln’s Inn, London
    6.7/10(16 votes)

    S16:E10

    The Team visits Lincoln's Inn, London where they have been asked to investigate the remains of a 13th-century palace that belonged to Henry III's Lord Chancellor. There were only a few areas within Lincoln's Inn where any excavation could take place. As well as it not being possible to dig under the other historic buildings, a huge London plane tree precluded any excavation that would threaten its root system.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Time Team Season 19 Episode 4 - The First King of Racing - Newmarket, Suffolk
    6.8/10(18 votes)

    S19:E4

    Tony and the Team visit Newmarket, the birthplace of horseracing, in search of the earliest archaeological traces of the sport of kings. They dig in the heart of the historic town, in search of the remains of King Charles II's racing stables - arguably the world's first stables dedicated to racing. Bone specialist Jackie McKinley talks about horse skeletons with Christopher Garibaldi at the National Horseracing Museum.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Time Team Season 19 Episode 6 - A Copper Bottomed Dig - Pentrechwyth, Swansea
    6.8/10(17 votes)

    S19:E6

    Two hundred years ago, Swansea was one of the wealthiest cities in the country, if not the world. The source of those riches was neither the coal nor the steel recently associated with the area, but copper.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Time Team Season 5 Episode 5 - Copper-Age Settlement - Mallorca, Spain
    7.1/10(25 votes)

    S5:E5

    Time Team goes abroad to tackle one of its most challenging sites. They search for evidence of one of the most enigmatic cultures in the world on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The Beaker people flourished in Europe around 4,000 BC, but there is very little evidence of their civilisation, which is thought to have made the first use of metal.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Time Team Season 19 Episode 1 - Dig by Wire - Gateholm Island, Pembrokeshire
    7.1/10(21 votes)

    S19:E1

    Tony Robinson and the team visit a tiny windswept island off the coast of Wales. The only way to get to it is by rigging a 500-metre zip wire way above the wave-lashed rocks.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Time Team Season 13 Episode 6 - Court of the Kentish King - Eastry, Kent
    7.2/10(21 votes)

    S13:E6

    The team descends on the orchards of Kent to search for the lost Anglo-Saxon palace of Eastry, and discover two likely contenders. Over three days, they dig the longest trench in Time Team history.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Time Team

    READ
  7. Time Team Season 19 Episode 3 - The Drowned Town - Dunwich, Suffolk
    7.2/10(18 votes)

    S19:E3

    Tony Robinson and the Team head to Dunwich, a village that's literally falling off the edge of the UK. Coastal erosion has eaten away most of this once-bustling settlement, and before the whole place is lost to the sea, there's a last chance to find out more about the lost origins of this dramatically situated town. The team are joined by historian Mark Bailey, architectural consultant Richard K. Morriss, Kyle Brown from the Environment Agency, John Ette from English Heritage, and Professor David Sear.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Time Team Season 3 Episode 2 - Hunting for Mammoth - Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire
    7.4/10(36 votes)

    S3:E2

    Recorded between 21 and 23 April 1995, in this episode the team go to a gravel pit that is soon to become landfill, where they attempt to unearth 200,000-year-old remains of mammoths and other prehistoric animals. Gravel pits are typical sites for paleolithic remains. But the chances of finding evidence of any prehistoric peoples are remote. Joining the team are Christine Buckingham, Kate Scott, and palaeontologist Russell Coope. Wood anatomist Rowena Gale tries to match ancient and modern wood samples For this episode the team are joined by archaeologist Kate Scott and geologist Christine Buckingham.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Time Team Season 3 Episode 4 - A Wreck of the Spanish Armada - Teignmouth, Devon
    7.4/10(36 votes)

    S3:E4

    Recorded between 30 June and 2 July 1995. 20 years ago a teenage boy discovered a 400-year-old bronze cannon in water close to the south Devon coast. Nobody has yet identified the ship it belonged to. Will there be enough left of the wreck to identify it? As usual, Time Team have only three days to find out. Tony is looking forward to getting into his diving suit. But the team cannot dive until the wreck's archaeological supervisor, Chris Preece, arrives. Meanwhile the wreck's finder, Simon Burton, tells his story. Undeterred by disappointing geophysics results, the divers go ahead with their search in murky water. On land, armoury expert Nicholas Hall demonstrates the cannon. Ultimately Robin comes up with a theory about the ship's origin and purpose.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Time Team Season 16 Episode 3 - Heroes’ Hill - Knockdhu, County Antrim
    7.3/10(23 votes)

    S16:E3

    Working with archaeologists from Queen's University in Belfast, the Team takes up the challenge to unlock the prehistoric secrets of the headland at Knockdhu, County Antrim.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Time Team Season 14 Episode 5 - Sharpe's Redoubt - Sandgate, Kent
    7.2/10(17 votes)

    S14:E5

    The team investigate the remains of Shorncliffe Redoubt, the first fort built to defend the English south coast from invasion by revolutionary French forces in the 1790s.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Time Team Season 4 Episode 3 - Steam-Powered Mint - Soho, Birmingham
    7.4/10(32 votes)

    S4:E3

    Recorded between 5 and 7 April 1996, this episode sees the team try to discover what remains of Matthew Boulton's Soho Manufactory, an important factory and home to the world's first steam-powered mint, during the Industrial Revolution. They are joined by industrial archaeologist George Demidowicz.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Time Team Season 15 Episode 11 - Five Thousand Tons of Stone - Hamsterley, County Durham
    7.3/10(21 votes)

    S15:E11

    The Time Team travel to County Durham to investigate the origins of a mysterious large stone structure which has had locals baffled for centuries. The stone structure is known locally as The Castles, its five-metre thick walls enclose a space the size of a football pitch.With guesses ranging from an Iron Age farm to a Roman prison, Tony Robinson and the team attempt to come up with a definitive answer.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Time Team Season 15 Episode 10 - From Constantinople To Cornwall - Padstow, North Cornwall
    7.2/10(15 votes)

    S15:E10

    Cornwall is probably not the first place that springs to mind when thinking about the Roman and Byzantine Empires but in a field overlooking a cove, just a mile down river from the famous Cornish village of Padstow, locals have picked up a wealth of 1,500-year-old pottery and metalwork from as far away as North Africa and Turkey. Geophysics results suggest an Iron Age village may have once been located on the site, but archaeologists think the cove may have also been a port for Mediterranean traders. The team dig for evidence which will support the theory, and after three days of work and initial difficulties, they believe they know how the site looked in its prime.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Time Team Season 16 Episode 8 - Mystery of the Ice Cream Villa - Colworth, Bedfordshire
    7.3/10(18 votes)

    S16:E8

    The Team are invited to investigate a Bedfordshire field by a group of amateur archaeologists who have found countless pieces of Roman pottery, coins and building material over the years. In a field next to a science park in Colworth, Bedfordshire, a group of amateur archaeologists have turned up a huge collection of material dating back almost 2,000 years.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Time Team Season 16 Episode 11 - Beacon on the Fens - Chapel Head, Cambridgeshire
    7.3/10(18 votes)

    S16:E11

    Over the years, farmers working the fields have found large quantities of worked stone, medieval tiles and even two shelly limestone columns, adding credence to the local belief that a medieval chapel once stood here. Time Team visits the cold and windswept Chapel Head, in the Cambridgeshire Fens, to see if a medieval chapel did once stand there.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Time Team Season 19 Episode 8 - Secrets of the Dunes - Kenfig, Bridgend
    7.3/10(18 votes)

    S19:E8

    Eight hundred years ago the people of Kenfig on the south coast of Wales thought they had built the perfect town, nestled round a harbour with easy access to the sea and a sheltered position. The town appears to have been a thriving commercial success but then it vanished, leaving just a few castle walls to mark its existence.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Time Team Season 19 Episode 11 - King John's Lost Palace - Clipstone, Nottinghamshire
    7.3/10(17 votes)

    S19:E11

    Tony and the Team don their hunting green, pick up their bows and arrows and head for the fringes of Sherwood Forest, where residents of Clipstone village in Nottinghamshire believe some impressive ruins in a farmer's field may have played a part in the ancient tales of Robin Hood and Bad King John. Landowner Mickey Bradley hopes that the site will be preserved as a heritage site. High class stone carvings indicate what is likely to be one of King John's hunting lodges or a ceremonial hall, rather than a fully fledged palace. They are joined by Tony Rotherham, who describes the practices and terrible punishments meted out to local poachers such as Robin Hood. He was probably only one of many outlaws inhabiting these forests, which were maintained by royalty for hunting and other amusements. Tony Rotherham also demonstrates the unmaking ritual, or butchery of a deer carcass.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Time Team Season 13 Episode 11 - Early Bath - Ffrith, Flintshire
    7.4/10(24 votes)

    S13:E11

    The team descend on the village of Ffrith in North Wales to discover if it is built on the remains of a Roman mining town. The main street runs along the route of Offa's Dyke. The dig involves excavating two gardens and the playing field, but the team are frustrated in their attempts to find a Roman bath house. The team are joined by archaeologist Chris Martin and historian David Mason.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Time Team Season 3 Episode 3 - Village of the Templars - Templecombe, Somerset
    7.5/10(40 votes)

    S3:E3

    Recorded between 26 and 28 May 1995. A 13th century picture of Christ, strikingly similar to that on the Turin Shroud, has turned up. It's believed to belong to the Knights Templar, a medieval order of monks who gave their name to the village of Templecombe. The team investigate a manor house thought to be on the site of a monastery. What's left of the monastery, and who were the Templars anyway? So far all the evidence seems to be outside the house, where Phil and the team have already dug up pieces of encaustic tile. Carenza and Robin are doing some research among the documents.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Time Team Season 10 Episode 6 - Digging Liberty - Merton, London
    7.4/10(22 votes)

    S10:E6

    Tony Robinson and the team are hunting for Liberty's first factory in South London. 'Liberty silks' still evoke images of opulence and beauty, of floating dresses and more leisurely times. But their hunt proves far from leisurely. Day three of the search brings the vital breakthrough – as well as an extraordinary attempt to recreate the 19th-century techniques of dying and printing those wonderful silks.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Time Team Season 12 Episode 6 - In Search of Henry V's Flagship, Grace Dieu - Bursledon, Hampshire
    7.4/10(22 votes)

    S12:E6

    The team have three days to explore the skeleton of a medieval warship found on the bed of the River Hamble near Southampton. They must prove whether it is the Grace Dieu, Henry V's naval flagship, and also find out how big it was and just why it came to grief. The team are joined by John Adams (marine archeologist) and Susan Rose (historian). Damian Goodburn (ancient ship expert) attempts to reproduce a small section of the massive ship's clinker built hull.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Time Team Season 14 Episode 8 - No Stone Unturned - Warburton, Greater Manchester
    7.4/10(21 votes)

    S14:E8

    The team arrive at a field outside Cheshire where metal detectorists have made several valuable finds in the past, hinting the site was once a very active Roman settlement. However, the complete lack of finds causes serious concern amongst our intrepid explorers. They are joined by Mike Nevell from the University of Manchester, Roman historian David Shotter, and Robert Philpott from Liverpool Museum. Archeometallurgist Andrew Lacey fashions a simple Roman snake bracelet. Famously, this is the episode where Tony declares "We've done what we always threatened: after 160 programmes, we found - nothing."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Time Team Season 4 Episode 6 - Roman Villa - Netheravon, Wiltshire
    7.5/10(34 votes)

    S4:E6

    Filmed from 2 to 4 August 1996, this episode looks for a Roman villa that was first partially discovered 90 years before by William Hawley. Part of the site - a former army barracks - is covered in concrete, which at least protects what is underneath. But as they don't know exactly where the villa is, it could be a problem for both the diggers and the geophysics team. The team are joined by Duncan Coe (county archaeologist), Mark Corney (Roman buildings expert) and Lindsay Allason Jones (Roman finds). At the end of day two Lindsay supervises an al fresco Roman-style meal. By day three they have the bare outline of a very substantial, high-status building complete with mosaic floors and central heating. But then unfortunately the time runs out.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Time Team Season 17 Episode 12 - Commanding Heights - Dinmore Hill, Herefordshire
    7.4/10(20 votes)

    S17:E12

    Tony and the Time Team climb a remote Herefordshire hill to investigate one of the biggest prehistoric sites ever featured. Was Dinmore Hill the site of a vast Iron Age hill fort? Needless to say Stewart doesn't think so. He is going with a much earlier cross-ridge dyke. To prove it one way or the other they need dateable finds. But the dig is hampered by torrential rain. Despite this they uncover a huge, magnificent ditch, which must have been dug by thousands of people during the Iron Age. The team are joined by historian Bettany Hughes, Hereford county archaeologist Keith Ray and environmental archaeologist Mike Allen.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Worst Episodes Summary

"Called to the Bar - Lincoln’s Inn, London" is the worst rated episode of Time Team. It scored 6.7/10 from 16 votes. Written and directed by Unknown, it aired on March 8, 2009. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "The First King of Racing - Newmarket, Suffolk".

Keep going

Browse Time Team by season

If you like Time Team