Digging for Britain

In the programme, Alice Roberts journeys to Bamburgh, Northumberland, to investigate the successive generations of Anglo‑Saxon peoples who once lived there. She also visits a pioneering archaeological project in Kent, examining its methods and findings to illuminate the early medieval history of the area.

Anglo Saxons is a television programme presented as a single episode that focuses on the legacy of early medieval Britain. The show is structured around a field‑based investigation, with the presenter guiding viewers through sites that hold particular relevance to the period. Its format blends on‑location reporting with brief explanatory segments, offering a concise look at how the Anglo‑Saxon era is understood today. In the episode, Alice Roberts journeys to the coastal village of Bamburgh in Northumberland. There she examines the layers of settlement that have accumulated over centuries, tracing how successive generations of Anglo‑Saxon communities lived, worked and left their mark on the landscape. Roberts’ visits to local landmarks and archaeological sites aim to illustrate the continuity and change that characterised life in this part of the kingdom. The programme then moves south to Kent, where Roberts spends time at a pioneering project that seeks to reinterpret Anglo‑Saxon heritage through contemporary methods. This initiative showcases modern approaches to preserving and presenting early medieval history, linking the ancient past with present‑day community engagement. By juxtaposing the historic environment of Bamburgh with the innovative work underway in Kent, the episode provides a rounded perspective on how the Anglo‑Saxon story is being researched and shared today.