Digging For Britain

Dr Alice Roberts follows an entire year of British archaeology, joining up the results of digs and investigations the length of the country. The results are astonishing - and sometimes disturbing. Tonight, the Romans, where finds include the mystery of 97 babies murdered by the Thames, a fabulous Roman coin hoard found in Somerset and a man buried on a layer of dead animals.

Dr Alice Roberts' journey takes her from Orkney to Devon, by land, sea and air. In Norfolk, flint tools unearthed push the earliest human occupation back by 200,000 years, to around a million years ago. In Orkney an early farm yields glimpses of our ancestors' earliest religious beliefs and customs. In Devon, we find one of the oldest known shipwrecks.  And a bronze age burial holds a mystery.

They divided our land and heralded the arrival of the Dark Ages. But were they just barbarians? Dr Alice Roberts continues her journey as she visits the royal seat of power at Bamburgh, Northumbria. There's a remarkable community project in Sittingbourne where people are curating the grave goods of their own ancestors. There are treasures that make her wonder just how dark the Dark Ages were.

In the finale, Dr Alice Roberts explores the Tudor Age, when Britain was reshaped by religion, power and culture. She visits digs at Shakespeare's first theatre in Shoreditch, studies finds from his Stratford home, and meets archaeologists exposing the impact of Henry VIII's Dissolution. From a lost Thames palace to a Tudor shipwreck, new discoveries reveal a transformative era.

Dr Alice Roberts follows a year of British archaeology, joining up the digs and investigations spanning the country. Results are astonishing - and sometimes disturbing. Tonight, Roman Britannia, where finds include the mystery of 97 baby skeletons by the Thames, a newly-discovered town in rural Devon's that turns history on its head, and a Roman cult figure buried for 1700 years beneath a fort.

Dr Alice Roberts journeys into Viking Britain, uncovering a world beyond raiding myths. From early settlements in the Outer Hebrides to Orkney's long-lasting Norse stronghold, she explores a chief's citadel and daily life. Treasure hoards reveal vast trade networks, while digs in York and new research on iconic finds like the Lewis Chessmen reshape our view of the Vikings.