Time Team facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Time Team |
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|---|---|
| Created by | VideoText Communications Ltd |
| Presented by | Tony Robinson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 20
Time Team official website: http://www.timeteamdigital.com |
| No. of episodes | 280 including specials |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Tim Taylor |
| Running time | 47 minutes (excluding advertisements) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Picture format | 4:3 (1994–1999) (2000–2014) |
| Original release | 16 January 1994 – 7 September 2014 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Time Signs |
| Related shows |
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Time Team was a popular British TV show that aired on Channel 4. It ran for many years, from 1994 to 2014. The show was created by Tim Taylor and hosted by actor Tony Robinson.
In each episode, a team of expert archaeologists dug up historical sites. They had just three days to find out as much as they could! Tony Robinson helped explain everything so it was easy to understand. The team of experts changed over the years. But it always included famous archaeologists like Mick Aston, Carenza Lewis, Francis Pryor, and Phil Harding. They explored sites from the very old Paleolithic age to World War II.
In 2012, Channel 4 announced that the show would end. The last regular series aired in 2013. A few special episodes were shown until September 2014.
Contents
How Time Team Worked
At the start of each show, Tony Robinson would explain why the team was visiting a certain site. During the dig, he would encourage the archaeologists to share their discoveries. He made sure that everything was clear for viewers who weren't experts in archaeology. Often, the sites they investigated were suggested by people watching the show. The goal was to uncover as much history as possible in just three days.
The excavations on Time Team weren't just for entertainment. Tony Robinson said that the archaeologists on the show published many scientific papers about their findings. He also mentioned that by 2013, Time Team had become a major supporter of archaeology in the UK.
Meet the Time Team Experts
The team of archaeologists usually gathered at a site, most often in Britain. The main leaders were often Mick Aston or Francis Pryor. Phil Harding was also a key field archaeologist. The original team from 1994 changed over the years.
Some regular team members included:
- Stewart Ainsworth, who studied the landscape.
- John Gater and Chris Gaffney, who used special equipment to find things underground without digging (this is called geophysics).
- Henry Chapman, a surveyor.
- Victor Ambrus, an illustrator who drew what the sites might have looked like in the past.
- Robin Bush, an archivist who looked through old records.
Other experts would join the team depending on the type of site. For example, Guy de la Bédoyère often helped with Roman digs. He also worked on sites related to World War II. Experts in pottery, coins, and bones also appeared.
In 2012, Mick Aston announced he was leaving the show. He felt that the show's format was changing too much. He thought it was focusing less on the actual archaeology. The show's producer, Tim Taylor, said they would try to address Mick's concerns.
Later team members included Neil Holbrook (archaeologist) and Philippa Walton (Roman coins specialist). Many younger archaeologists also made regular appearances.
How the Show Was Made
Time Team grew from an earlier show called Time Signs, which aired in 1991. That show also featured Mick Aston and Phil Harding. After Time Signs ended, Tim Taylor created the idea for Time Team. Channel 4 liked the idea, and the first series aired in 1994.
Time Team had several spin-off shows, like Time Team Extra and History Hunters. There were also special episodes, including documentaries and live broadcasts. A US version of the show, Time Team America, was shown in 2009. Time Team was even shown in 35 other countries!
The show was made by VideoText Communications Ltd and Picturehouse Television Co. Ltd. Tim Taylor was the producer, and Tony Robinson was an associate producer.
During the filming of a special episode in 2007, an accident happened during a jousting reenactment. A piece of a fake lance went into a participant's eye. The episode was later shown, but without the re-enactment part. It was dedicated to the person involved in the accident.
Why Time Team Ended
In 2012, Mick Aston left the show because he disagreed with some changes. Soon after, Channel 4 announced that 2013 would be the last series. The number of viewers had been going down.
In 2013, Tony Robinson said he thought Time Team could return in the future. He also supported a fan campaign to bring the team together again to honor Mick Aston, who sadly passed away in 2013. The regular Time Team show ended on March 24, 2013, with the very last special airing on September 7, 2014.
Other Time Team Projects
Time Team also tried different formats:
- Time Team's Big Dig in 2003 involved about a thousand members of the public. They dug small test pits in their own gardens. This project helped get many people involved in archaeology.
- Time Team's Big Roman Dig in 2005 covered nine archaeological sites across the UK. These sites were already being explored by professional archaeologists. Time Team showed live updates from these digs.
- Time Team Specials were documentary shows about history and archaeology. They were often presented by Tony Robinson and featured familiar faces from the main show. These specials sometimes followed large excavations done by other groups.
- Time Team History of Britain was a series where Tony Robinson and the team looked back at everything they had learned about British history.
- Behind the Scenes of Time Team showed how the archaeologists planned their digs and other parts of the show that weren't usually broadcast.
- 10 Years of Time Team celebrated the show's first decade, looking back at past moments and what was to come.
Time Team's Impact
Time Team is known for making archaeology more popular in the UK. A report in 2008 said the show was important for "promoting public awareness" of early British history. This means it helped many people learn about and get interested in archaeology.
DVDs Available
Complete series of Time Team have been released on DVD, especially in Australia. In the UK, "Best Of" DVDs were released for many years. Later, complete series also became available.
