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First day - am |
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As the sun came over the horizon Time Team were already getting started. By 5.30am most of the crew had breakfast inside them and were heading down to the main site on the shore of the Thames. Bad Catering, the location catering company, set the tea urns bubbling and the buzz in the air was one of excitement. Here we go on the first recording of the next series of Time Team (due to be broadcast January 2002).
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As the team are dealing with a tidal river the deadlines and windows for recording are very tight. Safety is a prime concern and the very location itself is going to offer plenty of challenges for the crew. Rats are a common sight on the river and unfortunately they carry some nasty diseases. One of these is Weil’s disease (pronounced ‘vials disease’). This dangerous bug is easily contracted when working in close proximity to where rats are abundant. This means that even a tiny cut to your finger puts you at risk. Rest assured that the team are safe as every precaution is being taken including dry suits and elbow length rubber gloves.
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By 6.30am the race is on. The film crews are set to go and Tony Robinson is running through his lines for the programme introduction. Through all the mayhem Stewart Ainsworth is locked in a world of his own as he studiously picks over his selection of maps.
Big Ben strikes 7.00am and the cameras roll. So what’s it like for series producer Tim Taylor as the recording of the ninth series begins?
‘It’s freezing and we’re all cold. With Tony doing his first piece to camera it feels like we’re actually getting going. This is always quite a good moment, the first take of the first programme of another year.’
And how about the site?
‘This is an exciting site for us. It’s not like our usual programmes. We’re severely restricted by the tides and that adds to the whole thing. We are only able to dig for a maximum of 2 hours per day. To be standing here now looking at the team excavating what could be a Bronze Age structure is great.'
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The team get straight to work. A very small trench is started around one of the exposed timbers. The surface is covered with a heavy shale and this sits on top of a heavy clay. It’s hard going. All of the spoil removed is being sieved and sampled, and on top of this a survey of soil cores is being taken using a hand auger to try and determine the underlying stratigraphy. More information on the methods of excavation will be up on this site later.
By 10.00am the sun is out and the diggers are getting hot in their dry suits. Time is running out as the tide starts to turn. By 11.00 the water is closing on the trench and preparation for evacuating the area is underway.
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Click here for first day pm |
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