Digging Up Britain's Past

Archaeologists and presenters Raksha Dave and Alex Langlands return to explore more fascinating periods in British history through archaeological digs. In the first episode, the pair join a team from Reading University at a site in Silchester, near Reading, as they examine one of the best-preserved Roman sites in Britain.

Raksha Dave and Alex Langlands examine the history of HMS Invincible, which was captured from the French in 1747 and helped transform the Royal Navy with the lessons it taught about organisation and ship design. For more than 260 years, HMS Invincible lay at the bottom of the Solent, but archaeologists are now diving beneath the waves in a ú2m excavation to discover more about this game-changing ship.

Archaeologists conduct a dig at Auckland Castle in Co Durham, which 700 years ago was home to a group of power-crazed bishops who behaved more like warriors than religious leaders. The experts head to Dirleton Castle in East Lothian to reveal the role one of the men played in defending England from William Wallace's army, and also try their hands at the art of stained glass-making, and fire a working trebuchet - the ultimate medieval weapon of war.

Centuries ago, canals were the liquid highways of Britain, transporting raw materials and finished goods all over the country. Their arrival kick-started the Industrial Revolution, which was to turn Britain into a superpower. The very first water superhighway was the Bridgewater Canal, completed in 1761 to carry coal to Manchester from the mines in Worsley. Here, a team of archaeologists from Salford University roots out this industrial past, working with volunteers to excavate the very coal mine that inspired the creation of the canal.

Raksha Dave and Alex Langlands search for the remains of a First World War stable at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, where thousands of horses would have been housed and trained for the front line. They join a team comprised of archaeologists and the military attempting to uncover the role this building played in the war effort. They also visit Britain's oldest cavalry regiment, examining tools that soldiers would have used to look after their steeds, and hear the story of Warrior, known as the horse the German's could not kill.

In 1592, Elizabeth visited magnificent Sudeley Castle for a three-day party, including the creation of a spectacular garden. Now a team of archaeologists hunt for this lost gem.