The Great British Dig

The Great British Dig: History in Your Back Garden
Great British Dig presenters
Genre	Factual TV Series
Created by	Strawberry Blond TV
Presented by	Hugh Dennis
Starring	Richard Taylor, Natasha Billson, Chloe Duckworth
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	15
Production
Executive producer	Steve Wynne
Running time	45 minutes
Release
Original network	Channel 4, More 4
Original release	9 April 2020 (2020-04-09)
External links
View on AllFour (UK only)
Strawberry Blond TV

The Great British Dig: History in Your Back Garden is a factual television programme about community archaeology, that airs on More 4 and Channel 4, produced by Strawberry Blond TV.^[1] Presented by comedian and actor Hugh Dennis along with three archaeological experts, each episode sees the team arrive in a local community somewhere in Britain, and knock on people's doors to ask if they can dig in their gardens.

A pilot aired on More 4 in April 2020. This was followed by a 4-episode series starting on 17 February 2021 on More 4, and repeated on Channel 4 on Sunday evenings from 24 October 2021. A ten-episode second series will air from 29 December 2021.^[2]

Format[]

Each week the team arrives in a different local community, and sets about unlocking clues to mysteries about the past by digging in the gardens and community spaces of local residents. The show typically opens with Hugh meeting the experts, who explain what they're looking for that week, and who then drag him off to knock on doors around the neighbourhood in the hope of drumming up some support. In addition to the on-screen archaeologists, there are a number of professionals involved in excavating the trenches and helping the residents to learn more about uncovering the past.

Cast[]

In addition to Hugh Dennis, the show is presented by university lecturer Dr Chloe Duckworth, commercial archaeologist Natasha ('Tash') Billson, and community archaeologist Richard Taylor. They are joined each week by a varied host of other on-screen specialists, including digital visualisation expert Marcus Abbott,^[3] environmental archaeologist Don O'Meara, and finds specialists Dr Hannah Russ and Dr David Griffiths.^[4] Regular guest presenters have included military historian Andrew Robertshaw, historian and genealogist Dr Michala Hulme,^[5] facial reconstruction expert Prof. Caroline Wilkinson, and architectural historian Jonathan Foyle.

Also featured on-screen are members of the local communities involved in the digs, and a wider cast of professional archaeologists.

Reception[]

The show's pilot was More 4's most successful one-off show in 2020^[6] and the first series received widespread positive reviews. It has been described by critics as a "lovely reminder of the history beneath your feet".^[7] The community involvement and accessibility of the show has been praised by reviewers,^[8] with a Daily Mail write-up commenting, “it’s enough to make you wonder what might be lurking under your own garden…”^[9]

In 2021, it was nominated for Best Popular Factual Programme in the Broadcast Digital Awards.^[10]

Locations[]

Pilot[]

Series 1[]

Series 2[]

Reported locations for series 2 include King's Lynn,^[12] Falkirk,^[13] Oswestry,^[14] Stretton, East Staffordshire,^[15] and Coventry^[16]

Archaeological accuracy[]

The archaeological research, on-site health and safety, permit applications, post-excavation and reporting for Series 1 and 2 was handled by heritage consultancy Solstice Heritage,^[17] alongside various local experts in archaeological excavation and survey. Finds processing is conducted by post-excavation management company Archaeobiz,^[18] with selected finds being directed to specialists across the UK.

References[]