Time Team S12-E02 Nether.Poppleton,.Yorkshire

The team investigate mysterious mounds that surround a Yorkshire village. Could they be the remains of an Anglo-Saxon saint's nunnery?

[@guinevere4365]

I just keep watching Time Team over and over. I’ve probably seen them all 5 or 6 times and my favorites even more. They are like family to me. I live in the US and England is just a wonderful semi-fantasyland companion to my life. Real people living meaningful lives digging in the dirt keeps me sane and human. Thank you to the whole gang for sharing your lives with me!!!

[@shnops]

Barby Gale : I bet you have a lot of British TV series that are favorites . I also like Brit comedies and dramas . At least outwardly the Brits seem so much more civil to each other than we do .

[@angelitabecerra]

Me too. I come back to these episodes every few months. So sad it was discontinued. Even sadder we don't have anything like this in America. Especially as we have so much Pre-Columbian history

[@larrythayer1452]

I feel the exact same way! I let episodes play in the background when I can't sleep or don't feel well.

[@laurachapple6795]

Phil and John giving each other shit is always entertaining.

[@Libbathegreat]

Haha, always a highlight for me as well.

[@jabow9999]

Wish Time Team were still on. Wish Mick Aston were still with us. Wish they'd come and dig in my garden. Sniff. Best TV ever.

[@kristic4472]

What I've learned from watching thousands of episodes of Time Team. If I live in a house in the countryside of England, Scotland, Ireland, I can dig a hole in my garden and find History! 😃😉🙃🤩

[@valsptsd814]

I’m in love with Phil. He’s intelligent, filthy and not egomaniacal. Those Daisy Dukes and that Batman Utility Belt with his deep passion for dirt and nose for finds.....sorry, is it hot in here? He’s just awesome.

[@gratefulchildren]

He IS the man!

[@claymonsterpottery]

I adore him. All his childish enthusiasm and unabashed zeal for all that digging. His instinct are always right on the mark.

[@Ritzi66]

Lol

[@robinandrews5478]

Ditto!

[@oldschoolman1444]

He has the nastiest fingernails you'll ever see. Someone needs to get him some nail clippers! =)

[@joemcknight6304]

I know Stewart has some detractors, but I view him as being a brilliant, albeit quirky, character who contributed greatly to the success of Time Team. As I view these episodes over and over, it seems to me that his relationship with Mick is one of the most fascinating aspects of his contributions.

[@aairsick]

This is my favorite episode yet. I just loved all the local folks being engaged but more than that I loved all the kids getting involved. In that lot are young futures in archeology being born! I loved it.

[@MjC7192]

that kind of cooperation and town/city pride ain't in the States

[@winkerdude]

I miss Mick Aston terribly. I miss the show in general. These were some real people in believable positions.

[@antonyandrerenaissancearti977]

Mick died June 2013

[@shnops]

Picture having a high school teacher like Phil Harding teaching you Archaeology 101 ! Wouldn't it be a treat !!

[@garethwigglesworth8187]

it would but he has a short temper and is super strict

[@barbmcconnaughey3070]

More likely, no patience for idjits. 😄

[@robinandrews5478]

No doubt!

[@PatrickMHoey]

Nothing puts me to a restful peaceful sleep like the sound of Phil being giddy over brushing off a piece of pottery covered in clay.

[@msmltvcktl]

Oooh ahhh! Bit of pot!

[@endrightwinglunacy]

God bless Mick Aston. Such a sweet and gentle soul. RIP.

[@theemurman1]

This is definitely the episode to make another good comment about Mick. True ambassador to this science of Archeology. The opening speech to the 12 - 90 year olds was great. Explained so everyone can understand. Not different from any other episode but that one was special deal IMO. I hope the new series can fill or “Phil” his spot with that kind of knowledge. The real Indiana Jones. Ha

[@shnops]

I'm amazed at seeing that the villagers are so eager to tear up their yards they have work so diligently to organize to their liking ! It's a testament to the popularity of the Series and their keen interest in their traditions and history . Americans have a lot to learn from Brit's love of their past !

[@amandaloriananimals9065]

We have a lot less history here in the US to find, by far. 600 years or so, besides the Native Indian heritage that we have that actually came here 15000 yrs ago from Beringia (Asia). The Indian settlers didn't move much and mainly stayed on the east coast to mid west. And the south American people moved up to inhabit Colorado, Texas, and Nevada and California. Everywhere else was inhabited by Indians from the Norse Indians that settled in Alaska and Canada. I love world history.

[@Invictus13666]

@@amandaloriananimals9065 if you love it so much why don’t you actually know it at all?

[@amandaloriananimals9065]

@@Invictus13666 If you think I'm wrong why don't you educate me. Instead of bullying me like a child. I love learning. If I'm wrong I'll admit it like an adult. Will you? Also, My minor degree is in World History, so I don't I'm wrong. But please, by all means, if I'm wrong then show me and help me to learn more. But don't be a dick.

[@michaelmccaffery2684]

Plenty of us Americans have a love of our past. There are plenty of Archeological and Historical Societies here. Archaeology and History are alive and well as a profession in the US. Fortunately we haven''t learned to be snobby twats and aresholes from the Brits though!!!

[@michaelmccaffery2684]

@@amandaloriananimals9065 I truly wish you would educate yourself a lot better about the US's Pre-History because you clearly do not have an understanding of it at all. None of what you said, except the bit about Beringia, which you only barely understand. All of the Native people's ancestors in the US migrated from Asia, exactly how they got here is still up for debate but arguably the land bridge called Beringia is one of the most well used route. There is no such thing as a Norse Indian, the "Norse" are from Scandinavia and are not ancestors to any Native American group. The Native Americans Migrated all over the American Continents, North, Central, and South. While it is true that some South American Native groups, most notably the ancestors of the Taino and the Caribe, did migrate to the Caribbean, No Native American group "moved" to the four states you mentioned. There are native groups in Northern Central America that ranged into What is now Southwestern North America. Lastly the History of America is much older then 600 years, it is just that this history is not the written, Anglo European history, which we do in fact have a lot less then Britain, that shnops so rudely stated we do not have a love of. As an example, the oldest continually inhabited city in the US is Acoma Pueblo and has been inhabited since 1050 AD, Long Before anglo European travelers got here with their writing. I appreciate your enthusiasm but I implore you to educate yourself before you comment on posts about History of any kind in the future.

[@lindalee7322]

I love the curious mutt's reaction to the camera crew at 23:44 - 23:48.

[@poolbear2160]

I love how they include the young people in the digs, I wonder how many archaeologists got their start from TT

[@lisakilmer2667]

These whole-village digs were super entertainment and education. "Return to your homes with your pet archaeologist in hand."

[@dsalvino1469]

By

[@beanixdorf6977]

Geez you’ve turned the whole town population into archeologists. That is sooooo sooooo cool

[@gwendolynfish2102]

I am beginning a third week of a horrific shingles outbreak! Thank you for giving me this incredible series to help get me through! Have loved every episode and helped me stay focused instead of wallowing in the pain!

[@toniomalley5661]

Gwen Fish hope you have recovered nasty thing shingles mind yourself stay well

[@vincerussett7922]

Hi Gwen: hope you are well over shingles now. When I was diagnosed, I was given acyclovir, which made short work of the virus, but the exhaustion was slow to pass. After six weeks, I'm now OK, but it makes everything a trial, doesn't it? Advice to all: if you start having symptoms of shingles, go to A&E: they will sort you out. Anti-virals work quickly and effectively.

[@stannousflouride8372]

The Saxon settlement is here: 53°59'17.8"N 1°08'56.0"W And the Tudor house was here: 53°59'19.4"N 1°08'26.4"W

[@katajha831]

RIP Mick. Who left us 4 years ago today.

[@spacewater7]

God I love it when they get the locals involved in the dig

[@JETWTF]

I like the community involved episodes where many community members do test pits, great to see so many people work together to learn about their towns history.

[@BlackIjs]

I love this episode. A refreshing change in format. Getting an entire community involved, excited.

[@barryeva9186]

I think they did the same at St Osyph

[@reneejordan2626]

3 minutes in and I am laughing my head off!! Between Phils short shorts and Tony's beard, I'm not entirely sure what's more amusing!!

[@cyrus76hb]

Haha,same here.I wanted to make a comment about it but after you already mentioned it...I think Phil´s pants are cool,hes basicly recycling his worn out denim´s.I like doing that too i guess im a cheap^^.And speaking about Tony´s beard it´s almost a bit disturbing.For some wierd reason it does remind me of Bert´s mono brow(Sesame Street).Sorry for bad english spelling. Greetings from Germany

[@mikepotter5718]

WOuld you be happy if he wore the skirt that Jordan called a uniform

[@tripleransom4349]

Loved the way they panned up Phil's legs! Some cameraman (or woman) with a nice appreciation for the finer things of life, I guess

[@koitsenka]

@@tripleransom4349 , i am always happy to see phil's legs.

[@djpuffthethird]

Phil : What have you ever done . All you do is walk up and down and Push a shopping trolley around . XD classic Phil Harding sarchastic witt .

[@jeffsprague1366]

Great series! Binge watching in the US during Covid and it has been exceptional at raising my spirits! Amazed it took until Season 12 for them to wear safety harnesses on the lift rig.

[@dannyjstill]

Wonderful to see everyone pitching in and helping each other out. That's the kind of community I'd love to live in! Great show.

[@ronc7743]

Yup, you dont see that once diversity rot has set in!

[@souloftheteacher9427]

@@ronc7743 To quote you: "Yup": of course you see it. So-called "diversity," i.e., people moving around, has existed since the dawn of time. Humans have never stayed put. It's not our nature. For heck sake, Ron--if we were homebodies we'd all be inbred. Which, if you haven't taken a good studious look at genetics, is, um, not a nice thing. The "rot" is inbreeding, son, plus a kind of mental stultification--"me, mine, and only mine is right"--which, if you have the sense God gave gravel and I assume you do, is something you want to avoid.

[@ronc7743]

First of all dont call me son. Secondly, Im an America living in Europe so I see what islam has in store for anyone who is non muslim.I dont have time to educate you at the moment, dear teacher, Im rushing out the door, but do a little research then get your head out of the sand before it is too late.

[@zedwms]

I love it when they involve the kids.

[@pollyb.4648]

Love Love this premise! Only a couple minutes in and it's my new favorite. Thank you thank you for uploading these!!! (Gotta rewind now:)

[@cyrus76hb]

Thank you so much for uploading.There is so much trash these days on YT this is at least something worth watching.Thanks again for that Reijer Zaajer

[@frankduwelfilms6099]

The Homunculus I agree totaly

[@billie-jobenway8658]

Agreed. This has been my favorite series since Reiger Zaaijer posted these, along with Fillask. Between those two they have all episodes, including the couple missing here and all specials.

[@oldmaidwhovianakanancyg4425]

I grew up in NY's upper Hudson Valley, & I was always finding Native American items alongside our garage, which was built in 1960

[@t.j.payeur739]

23:46..the poor dog is puzzled by the camera man.."what in the hell..."

[@paulaalto3034]

Clearly the star of the day.

[@bryanwalt3934]

By far one of my favorite episodes!

[@Concetta20]

A caterpillar is eating Tony's chin!

[@evilcanofdrpepper]

youtube had trouble coding that part of his face, it should show up as a black blocky bunch of pixels rather than his chin for this episode.

[@carolynwells5293]

Don’t like it,Tony

[@sandraplonka5225]

This is the best show, love the U.K. From Arizona.🌵

[@captpaulhaugan]

I like the idea of using the whole community.

[@KellyBurnett138]

11:57 that made me tear up a bit 😪R.I.P. little one

[@MullberryBirch]

Town resident at 3:43 - 3:46 is cosplaying as Phil Harding! He even has a toolbox!

[@belwynne1386]

Too damn funny!

[@CanChikMay]

Third time im watching this..love it

[@6reve]

Milander, it's probably for a part he is playing. Don't forget that his day job is being an actor :)

[@Joostvb1989]

The show is like Baywatch, people running around the whole time. The only difference is that the intelligence of the whole cast of Baywatch amounts to the intelligence in Tony's beard.

[@Wally-H]

I remember Babewatch - er, Baywatch. I'd be there on a Saturday night, remote control on one arm of the chair, box of tissues on the other...

[@ThemrRewind]

Sire, baldrick has escaped again and is running around the village digging holes with all the local pesents Sire..

[@JETWTF]

I would say the whole cast of Babewatch has the intelligence of one hair in Tony's sad beard.

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks so much for posting.

[@tripleransom4349]

HeeHee. "Nether Poppleton" reminds me of something out of Are You Being Served Again.

[@t.j.payeur5331]

Again I've learned something new. I had no idea that Brits called shopping carts "supermarket trolleys"...

[@angelitabecerra]

Gotta love Carenza's work ethic. She's always running all over sites, digging her own trenches, helping out researching the archives, helping sort and date finds, and even made multiple digs whilst very pregnant.

[@MeMommyEms]

Carenza could run the marathon! Brilliant!

[@ThemrRewind]

Long live The White Rose, long live Yorkshire pudding

[@majordendrocopos]

I love the way that everyone (apart from Phil and Mick) has to run everywhere. Busy busy!

[@pedrovitsch]

Another wonderful story ...

[@louisebentley4886]

At the time this series was shot Tony was starring in a children's show he'd written and produced, "Maid Marion and Her Merry Men". He was the rotten Sheriff of Nottingham hence the horrid bit of fluff hanging off his face lol

[@edherdman9973]

Louise Bentley I gave you a +1 for the reference, but apparently that show aired from '89-'94, while this series of Time Team was filmed 10 years later.

[@jkabholat]

Louise Bentley time team aired from January 16,1994 to September 7,2014

[@jkabholat]

Time team from 1-16-1994 thru 9-7-2014

[@patrickwentz8413]

mystery solved. thank you.

[@tripleransom4349]

Well, but Season 12 was 2005, so why is Tony wearing that (shudder) goatee?

[@nightrunnin]

Sometimes I wish I I lived in Europe, can’t dig a garden without finding something interesting

[@jamiemorgan4146]

I like Phil ! He's a wonderful Chap. At first appearance he looks gruff and hard, but he's anything but that. I think he'd give you the shirt off of his back ..... I'd love to have a pint or 5 with him, but I'm sure he doesn't like to drink ( lmao ) I bet you'd have a blast. He's such a happy sod. I bloody well like him the best !!!

[@MsLeebee2]

love time team tfs

[@phoule76]

Mick: "you've obviously learned something in the 12 years we've been doing this." Tony: "well you haven't!"

[@waynethompson8416]

On digs like this one, I can't help but wonder, with so many bits of buildings uncovered, does anyone ever continue after Time Team leaves to uncover the rest and if so, is there any video of how it looks now?

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

*Wayne Thompson* Plenty of continuations but rarely immediately. Not many videos of further excavation but *DigVentures* has a few on YT.

[@Pauldjreadman]

If they do something similar to TT they should do this. I had forgotten about this episode. This reminds me of the first series where they had the people that wrote into the show involved.

[@maddog2771]

Was here Nov 2019

[@bilgeratjim]

So TT has finally got to poking around in a dank trench in the nether regions?

[@koitsenka]

stewart is amazing.

[@wtfmrb293]

Jupp Ur right

[@maddog2771]

Was here in 2019

[@SB-sj4uz]

The reconstructed Tudor house looks like Gainsborough old hall.

[@ThermaL-ty7bw]

i think some of those people dug up their gardens for a few more weeks after time team left that day , lol

[@noahproblemo1257]

Time team is the extended family we all wish we had over the crazy uncle who always left the door open when he went to pee.

[@spacelemur7955]

I was expecting the townsfolk to appear on Day 2 in Medieval clothing and carrying pitchforks and torches.

[@wendyhedeen7928]

I love this series. I really want to know the total miles John has walked mappings the lump and bumps.

[@tehbonehead]

Phil's cut-off jean shorts, tho!

[@gratefulchildren]

So adorable!

[@bugeyednutburke4558]

i was wondering if the two arches on the side of the church was a door for a horse and maybe , the small arch was for smaller animals ?

[@bigbensarrowheadchannel2739]

I love how they got the village involved. I miss this show terribly. We had an American version. But it never took off. All these idiots over here want to watch the Kardashians and crap like that. So shows like this always get cancelled after 1 or 2 seasons. Thank god for KZbin.

[@edherdman9973]

Look out for the crocuses!

[@edherdman9973]

The dog at 23:42. Brilliant editing work on this series, they know how to excavate the appropriate footage for the show :)

[@acousticsong-guitarco964]

+Ed Herdman Priceless, the dog! :-))

[@uw1955]

Oh yes, incredible stuff comin' out of his chin. Vade retro satanas!

[@Brinta3]

I heard that Saint Everdildo was a stand up guy.

[@cindym4357]

Is Tony's beard some kind of a Roman Chin strap? lol It does make him look more grown up :) Phil tells John " all you've done today is walked around with a shopping trolley" haha! I live in California. The only finds in my garden is an odd old "hot wheel" car lol I'm jealous

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

The beard was for a TV show.

[@JETWTF]

I much prefer the episodes when Mick was in charge compared to Francis, Mick was always about the evidence and never drew conclusions without corroborating evidence, Francis on the other hand has a fixation on "it was ritual". Francis could see ritual in a single pottery shard in a trench while Mick states the obvious, it is inconclusive. Francis, 2 spear heads at a bridge landing = ritual offerings to the ancestors while Mick is about the evidence stating there are two spear heads at a bridge landing and needs more evidence to draw a conclusion. Mick was a true archeologist.

[@neurorn477]

JETWTF i’ve often felt the same. Big assumptions on small finds. but i love the hope and imagination. and i too enjoy Mick’s episodes best. brilliant cautious gentle spirited. wild hair wild jumpers ! he was a wait and see the truth guy rather than needing to be right

[@UFOzNoJoke]

I say it's a Sauxen Bakery! Hmm, let's see here...

[@GrahamCLester]

There should be a national Dig Up Britain Day once a year.

[@gururajendiran5575]

What if that little piece of saxon pottery found in the ditch could have been brought naturally from somewhere else.

[@Sarge80]

9:35 ton means settlement, wrong, ton is saxon and means town.

[@Brinta3]

Rolf Penterman But a town is a settlement, isn’t it? And a -ton could be/ start as a tiny village, and you wouldn’t call that a town. Any way, town and -ton are not even the same word, it’s like humans and chimpanzees: we didn’t evolve from chimpanzees but we share a common ancestor. From Quora: *It shares a root with the English word town, but didn’t mean the same thing. From the Online Etymology Dictionary: Old English tun "enclosure, garden, field, yard; farm, manor; homestead, dwelling house, mansion." The -ton suffix indicated an area enclosed by a fence or a wall.* For example: you’d have a wealthy homestead/ farmstead or something alike, called Huntington, and then a village grew around that and the whole village ended up having that same name Huntington, and then much later we came to associate the suffix -ton with village/town/settlement.

[@Sarge80]

@@Brinta3 You are correct that the saxon didnt distinguish between town / village and hamlet etc like we do, every small hamlet or larger village was a ton. That is why i think its so funny that around my area ( the netherlands ) there are just about no saxon ton towns remaining, the names just dissapeared here, the only link left now is Gelderland our province, Gelder was a saxon king. The only other saxon link was a small port off which the name escapes me right now.

[@MyPoetik]

My dad would have to be like aintworth walking through fields 😂 as his job was to be kinda topographer 😄

[@cathjj840]

Stewart Ainsworth. 'aintworth' had me thinking you were disparaging the practice of walking about!

[@MyPoetik]

@@cathjj840 my fault I am not at all English 😅 and I didn't register well his name in my memory 😝

[@cathjj840]

No problem - it was kind of a cute mistake. I guessed you weren't a native speaker, and even if you were, getting names right is always hard. (In case you don't know, "ain't" is slang for "isn't". In fact, Phil uses it a lot in his Wiltshire dialect, but generally it's considered incorrect or impolite.)

[@KOOLBadger]

Phil has great legs!🤭

[@harbourdogNL]

18:09 Day 2-only the old duffers turn up today, not a kid to be seen like there was on Day 1!

[@TeresaTrimm]

First aired January 9, 2005.

[@melissahenderson8669]

guys,in the poppleton dig ,you guys are chatting there beside the church named after the lady saint,and behind y'all is what looks like a stone hearth filled in and now the outside wall of the church. or a doorway arch,mostly now burried in that case. Now if you look then at the window beside the wall /door arch /hearth opening now filled in with stone and partly buried,,the Normans came and burned and murdered the people all over so you said and that is a fire scorch or some permanent marking around the window stones look like it was broken in by a flaming some such,. so I'm just saying..

[@4june9140]

I was married in that beautiful little Church, Poppleton is such a nice Village too.

[@cathjj840]

I believe it was the Vikings who were accused of burning everything down, thus probably the earlier Saxon church and the monastery. Hence the need to rebuild a church which would have been done under the Normans who were quick to put their mark on as much as they could all around the country..

[@StevenBeshears420]

Where is the other Geo Physics guy? Nevermind, there he is... lol

[@ANTINUTZI]

... A wee bit of medieval subliminal subception ...??? ... 7:33 ...

[@rebeccaaugustin2223]

magnets

[@APIEngineering]

Okay... they should buy Carenza a little scooter lol. She's having to run around way too much.

[@cogidubnus1953]

I have to say I love seeing Carenza's neat little butt moving so rapidly...

[@bigbearfuzzums7027]

She always insinuates herself into everything her constant see me hear me I'm the focus deprate attention seeking narcissistic behavior!

[@Go-Dawgs]

@@bigbearfuzzums7027 I agree!

[@ElleLillian]

@@bigbearfuzzums7027 what in the misogynistic hell did i just read...

[@chinamanjw]

Corenza😍

[@desslokbasileus571]

46:53～　😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@basstrammel1322]

We all know the younger generation in this town says St Everdildo

[@oldtimer5283]

Has Tony's barnet migrated to under his chin. Or did he forget what show he was on..🙊🙉🙈

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

*Old Timer* He's an _actor._ At the time he was playing the *Sheriff Of Nottingham* in a children's show.

[@georgedorn1022]

@@philaypeephilippotter6532 He played the Sheriff of Nottingham in 'Maid Marian and her Merry Men' from 1989-94, as well as being the creator and writer of the show. Series 12 of Time Team was filmed in 2004.

[@a.westenholz4032]

I can't see any reason to assume that there was a Saxon monastery there. There may have been a pre-Norman settlement of some kind, hence the ditch, and later Norman church. The name of the church (remember we know of at least one other and does it have a monastery?) may be due to other factors now unknown. They seem to be assuming this monastery was there not because of any direct evidence, but because the landscape is typical of the kind of place where you find them, the name of the church, pottery of that date, and a ditch that can have other explanations. None of those, even when put together, add up to a monastery, as they could equally well just mean a settlement. It is poor reasoning. Mick seemed throughout this episode all too fixated on the idea of a Saxon monastery. It was like he had made up his mind from the start it was there. That kind of thinking is the bane of archaeologists, when they fall in love with pet theories, and will make the evidence fit their ideas. In this case at best all I could say is that they made a case for a monastery MIGHT have been there but that they didn't find any actual evidence of it.

[@Ritzi66]

A. Westenholz When is the episode with your theories and reasoning being aired ? Oh thats right ... You’re an armchair genius ..

[@a.westenholz4032]

@@Ritzi66 What do you know of my educational background? Oh right nothing...

[@Ritzi66]

@@a.westenholz4032 It's obvious .. You're a genius

[@a.westenholz4032]

@@Ritzi66 You're patently an utter fool. If you have any counter arguments to make to what I actually argued in my OP instead of vapid pointless insults that prove nothing, then please do. Until then your comments are just a waste of time and space that prove or disprove nothing. If you think they proved there was a monastery there, and I'm wrong, then for pete's sake just say why, and quit with the dumb insults.

[@gavinwalsh2308]

I think carenza was rude to the diggers very blunt .

[@ElleLillian]

during which part?

[@Go-Dawgs]

What a waste of time showing Carenza running from house to house. Lol guess that's the required amount of her show time? Uh probably not. She will have her opinion forcefully stressed on air as usual.

[@ElleLillian]

u sound like u hate women lol

[@adamsjerome1839]

This show should probably be banned. It is completely addictive.

[@johnhughes1190]

Used to be a great show then they started to add stupid people Mick left because of this it ruined the show

[@wordawgg]

I love the show, but Tony is a very ignorant man.

[@thomaspatton4401]

Tony is paid good money to ask what "some people" would think are stupid questions, when actually he is purposefully coaxing forth the information to further educate the uninformed viewer. This is a good strategic tool to educate people who genuinely just don't know or those who are too impatient to take the time to make sure that they are adequately informed of any situation or the people in them before foolishly getting the wrong understanding before making a snap decision. Most of the rest of us would sarcastically call this "Genius Thinking." Since the show Tony has been knighted. Somehow I don't think it was because of his "Alleged Ignorance."

[@marilyncuaron3222]

Hardly. Put Mick, Phil, or John in charge of the TV aspect of TT and see what happens. Tony is not an archeologist: his job is to turn a bunch of digging into a comprehensive and entertaining episode of television. If it is too basic for you, take a class or read some books or something. I think Sir Tony is perfect for his role.

[@robert4724]

I love this show and cast, except for Tony, he's my least favorite of the entire cast. His snide comments are a bit too much and his commentary some times comes off like a cheap game show host.

[@nickking8994]

I understand why, but look at it this way; he was the foil, he had to say what a portion of the TV audience was thinking/questioning at home. That said his character is off putting sometimes.

[@vincerussett7922]

I worked with these guys quite a few times, and Tony is a real pro: all the 'snidiness' between him and Mick and Phil is a game of old mates who have known each other for years: possibly this doesn't translate well to non-English cultures. In my experience, he was brilliant with members of the public and with the landowners. I remember one occasion when he was sat down reading the newspaper, and the director called him for a piece to camera, and without hesitation, he jumped up and went straight into the piece, no hesitation at all.