The first-ever prehistoric excavation for The Great British Dig

More 4 continue to dig deep…

The new series of The Great British Dig continues, uncovering even more history hidden in UK back gardens.

Hugh Dennis and an expert team of archaeologists excavate the gardens of Britain, in an attempt to uncover lost history buried beneath the lawns and flowerbeds. With the help of local residents, the team uncover mysteries that stretch over four millennia of time – from Bronze Age settlements and a lost Tudor Hall to a Roman Fort and a World War II prisoner of war camp – and much, much more, as they reveal the exciting discoveries hidden underneath the petunias.

The team of experts joining Hugh Dennis are archaeological scientists and lecturers at Newcastle University Dr Chloe Duckworth, archaeologist Richard Taylor and field archaeologist Natasha Bilson.

This week in the second episode of the series Hugh and the team take on their first-ever prehistoric dig as they try to unearth ancient roundhouses in the village of Stretton in Staffordshire. Their mission is to work out just how far back in time the settlement dates; is it Bronze Age, Iron Age or from the early Romano British period?

Nobody has ever excavated the site before, and for the first time ever the team dig up a school playing field. In his quest to find these long-lost homes, Hugh visits a reconstructed Bronze Age roundhouse and tries his hand at some Iron Age smelting, but back at the dig it’s not long before the team make some staggering finds which help them solve the mystery of when people first made Stretton their home.

The Great British Dig continues on Wednesday at 9 pm on More 4.