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The Worst Episodes of Time Team

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

The Worst 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 Lord of the Isles - Finlaggan, Islay
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    #1 - Lord of the Isles - Finlaggan, Islay

    S2:E1

    The Time Team travel to a group of islands on the western side of Scotland to investigate a culture known as the "Lords of the Isls" - who ruled the islands 1000 years ago. The team joins a group from the Scottish National University who've been working in the area for some five years uncovering the history of these people. What the Time Team discovers throws the whole excavation into a new light and suggests people may have lived in the area thousands of years prior.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for The Saxon Graves - Winterbourne Gunner, Wiltshire
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    #2 - The Saxon Graves - Winterbourne Gunner, Wiltshire

    S2:E2

    The Time Team visit Hylton Castle near Sunderland. A local group want to redevelop the local area as a tourist attraction but don't want to disturb any hidden structures.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for The Lost Villa - Tockenham, Wiltshire
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    #3 - 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
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for The Archbishop's Back Garden - Lambeth Palace, London
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    #4 - The Archbishop's Back Garden - Lambeth Palace, London

    S2:E4

    The Time Team traveled to Lambet Palace in the heart of London. They are trying to unravel the enigma of why the Romans crossed the Thames in a different area to where they developed the city. The team needs to employ some extreme archeology to try an understand what the Romans where thinking.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for Medieval Dining Hall - Hylton Castle, Sunderland
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    #5 - Medieval Dining Hall - Hylton Castle, Sunderland

    S2:E5

    The Time Team travel to Winterbourne Gunner in Wiltshire to investigate a housing development that has come to a halt because of an alarming number of Saxon graves found in the area They successfully work their way through the maze of finds but in doing so discover what seems to be a whole new layer of history in the town.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Prehistoric Fogou - Boleigh and Treveneague, Cornwall
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    #6 - Prehistoric Fogou - Boleigh and Treveneague, Cornwall

    S3:E1

    Recorded between 17 and 19 March 1995, the team try to discover what a 2000-year-old underground chamber (fogou) beneath Jo May's garden was used for. Dowser Hamish Miller shows the extent of the fogou beneath the lawn, and Tony tries his hand at dowsing. But Mick is skeptical, preferring to rely on the geophysical survey. They are also trying to find the Iron Age settlement that would have adjoined the fogou. Joining the team are archaeological geophysicist Susan Ovenden, and county archaeologist Nick Johnson. The programme includes an experiment in extracting pure tin from the local stream.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for Hunting for Mammoth - Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire
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    #7 - Hunting for Mammoth - Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Village of the Templars - Templecombe, Somerset
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    #8 - Village of the Templars - Templecombe, Somerset

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for A Wreck of the Spanish Armada - Teignmouth, Devon
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    #9 - A Wreck of the Spanish Armada - Teignmouth, Devon

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
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  11. Background image for Palace of the Irish Kings - Emain Macha (aka Navan Fort), County Armagh
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    #10 - Palace of the Irish Kings - Emain Macha (aka Navan Fort), County Armagh

    S3:E5

    Recorded between 7 and 9 April 1995, the team are at Emain Macha (aka Navan Fort), County Armagh, where according to Celtic legends three palaces were built. The evidence of two have been found and the team try to find evidence of the third.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Treasures of the Roman Field - Lavenham, Suffolk
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    #11 - Treasures of the Roman Field - Lavenham, Suffolk

    S3:E6

    Recorded between 28 and 30 August 1995. The team arrive in a large square field about 20 miles from Colchester. This is an area typically rich in Roman activity. Several remains have previously been dug up, including coins, an elaborate key, and Samian ware. Adrian Thorpe, the farmer, wants to know more. The indications are of a settlement with high status buildings, maybe timber-framed. With recycled fragments of genuine Roman glass, fired up in a homemade furnace, glassblower Ed Iglehart creates an authentic conical beaker. Among hundreds of finds is a metal owl brooch. They are joined by Jude Plouviez from Suffolk County Council, Roman specialist Lindsay Allason-Jones, environmental archaeologist Peter Murphy, and coin specialist Daphne Briggs.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for Richmond Palace - Richmond, Surrey
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    #12 - Richmond Palace - Richmond, Surrey

    S5:E1

    Filmed between 25 and 27 July 1997. The team are camped on an immaculate suburban lawn next to the Thames. They are searching for the now vanished Richmond Palace, site of the death of Elizabeth I. But amazingly nobody is exactly sure of its whereabouts. The first task is to dig up the lawn under the supervision of landscape gardener Martin Whitaker. Immediately they find evidence of a substantial high status Tudor building. They are joined by palaces expert Simon Thurley and local historian John Cloake. Tudor expert Hazel Forsyth shows Carenza how to make a pomander. Plants from the garden are used by Maria Lis-Balchin to brew up some Elizabethan perfume. The property owner was The Baron van Dedem.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for Bronze-Age Trackway - Greylake, Somerset
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    #13 - Bronze-Age Trackway - Greylake, Somerset

    S5:E2

    The team go to the Somerset levels in search of a 4,000-year-old wooden trackway. The quickest way to get across the marshes that used to exist here in the Bronze and Iron Ages was across wooden walkways. Now the team hope to find evidence of these footbridges.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Viking Graves - Orkney, Scotland
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    #14 - Viking Graves - Orkney, Scotland

    S5:E3

    The team go in search of evidence of the invasion of the Vikings, and its influence on ancient Britain. The team travel to the Orcadian island of Sanday to try to find out whether four mysterious mounds there are evidence of a Viking settlement or even a Viking burial site.

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    Director:Unknown
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  16. Background image for Roman Villa - Turkdean, Gloucestershire
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    #15 - 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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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Copper-Age Settlement - Mallorca, Spain
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    #16 - Copper-Age Settlement - Mallorca, Spain

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
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  18. Background image for Aston Eyre Farmhouse - Aston Eyre, Shropshire
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    #17 - Aston Eyre Farmhouse - Aston Eyre, Shropshire

    S5:E6

    Filmed between 27 and 29 June 1997, the team go to Shropshire and search for a complex of medieval buildings in Aston Eyre, where the only remaining building is a farmhouse that used to be a gatehouse. They are joined by archaeologist Mark Horton and archivist Paul Stamper. Tree rings expert Dan Miles tries to get some dates from beams in the gatehouse. Ian Pritchett demonstrates a traditional lime kiln. Finds: potential earlier structure found at end of day three, but time ran out before they could determine what it was.

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    Director:Unknown
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  19. Background image for Cathedral Hill - Downpatrick, County Down
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    #18 - Cathedral Hill - Downpatrick, County Down

    S5:E7

    Recorded between 19 and 21 February 1997, the team look for the early monastic buildings on Cathedral Hill, where according to legend St. Patrick built a monastery and was buried. They are also digging up medieval finds, including roof tiles and glass, which indicate a high status building. They soon identify the large double ditch which originally enclosed the monastery complex. Victor tries his hand at medieval calligraphy and helps create an illuminated manuscript with a portrait of a familiar face, complete with hat and feather. We also see some vellum making.

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    Director:Unknown
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  20. Background image for Deserted Medieval Village - High Worsall, North Yorkshire
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    #19 - Deserted Medieval Village - High Worsall, North Yorkshire

    S5:E8

    Filmed between 10 and 12 October 1997, Time Team go to High Worsall, near Middlesbrough, a village that almost completely disappeared hundreds of years ago. Finds: 14th century buildings and manor house, pristine spindle whorl. Experimental demonstration: fishing and cooking caught fish. Also, historians Robin Bush and Dawn Hadley are followed while they research the village and create a timeline.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for Wedgwood's First Factory - Burslem, Stoke-On-Trent
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    #20 - Wedgwood's First Factory - Burslem, Stoke-On-Trent

    S6:E1

    The Team are in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, to investigate what remains of Josiah Wedgwood's first factory and to discover what pottery he was making there. They find evidence of several centuries of potting and bottle kilns, including a time capsule of the pottery of Enoch Wood & Sons. Experimental archaeology: a replica creamware vase.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Back Garden Roman Finds - Papcastle, Cumbria
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    #21 - Back Garden Roman Finds - Papcastle, Cumbria

    S6:E2

    The team are in North West England, investigating Roman finds and a possible Roman building, unearthed in a family's back garden. The house is just 100 metres from a Roman fort, and south-west of the end of Hadrian's Wall. Geophysics are using state-of-the art Swedish radar equipment, to detect foundations beneath two metres of soil. A fragment of bronze mirror hints at a domestic settlement, a vicus, that would have sprung up next to the fort. But the diggers are finding plenty of archaeology, indicating much larger and more organised Roman building, possibly a city. Through the expertise of potter Gilbert Burroughes, the team are going to try to make a Samian ware bowl during the three days. The team are joined by Roman specialist Lindsay Allason-Jones.

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    Director:Unknown
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  23. Background image for Dominican Friary Church and Norman Cathedral - Thetford, Norfolk
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    #22 - 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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  24. Background image for Cooper's Hole - Cheddar Gorge, Somerset
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    #23 - Cooper's Hole - Cheddar Gorge, Somerset

    S6:E4

    Investigation, at the invitation of the cave's owner, the Marquess of Bath, to see if there is evidence of Palaeolithic human activity in the cave. This may be among the oldest homes in England. The ultimate aim is to get the site scheduled and thus protected from unofficial damage. However it soon becomes clear there is a lot of preparatory work involved. They are joined by palaeontologist Andy Currant, and cave archaeologists Larry Barham and Kate Robson Brown. Caver Malcolm Cotter directs them to a cache of bones; but the tunnel is blocked by sediment from flooding.

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    Director:Unknown
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  25. Background image for Medieval Plympton - Plympton, Devon
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    #24 - 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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  26. Background image for Tudor Dockyard - Smallhythe, Kent
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    #25 - Tudor Dockyard - Smallhythe, Kent

    S6:E6

    Looking for evidence of a 15th century dock, the team are in Small Hythe. The dock was once next to the mile-wide River Rother but its location is now an overgrown field, ten miles from the sea. And early excavations reveal nothing more recent than wood from a prehistoric forest. Medieval ship expert Ian Friel explains that the dockyard used to have high naval significance, and was visited by Henry V. Woodworker Damian Goodburn uses authentic tools to build a ship's clinker hull. Victor draws the biggest ship ever built here, the Jesus. Using geophysics, John Gater and Sue Ovenden pinpoint the course of the old river. And very soon the finds start to accumulate, revealing the true scale of activity here.

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    Director:Unknown
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Worst Episodes Summary

"Lord of the Isles - Finlaggan, Islay" is the worst rated episode of "Time Team". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/8/1995. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "The Saxon Graves - Winterbourne Gunner, Wiltshire".