As an archaeologist and historic interpreter myself, it is so heartening to see a public history/science program done right for a change - just the right amount of conjecture, and no sensationalized pseudo-science so common in American-produced "documentaries". I like the model- the notion of a series traveling around the country, reporting on the latest excavations and making some attempt to explain not only the process of the science, but the historical and environmental contexts of the sites as well.
Full disclosure: I might be a *bit* enamored of Alice Roberts. She, like Neil Oliver, have exactly what it takes to get across science while at the same time really helping the viewer use what they are seeing at the excavation to imagine what life was like for the ancient people there. There are some "artist's conception" type stills and few if any, 3-D renderings (which might help a bit in some cases) but Roberts does an amazing job of firing the imagination without much aid from graphics. The sites and artifacts are almost always visual enough on their own to get the point across.
Also, having watched hundreds of hours of documentaries in this vein, it's clear Dr. Roberts is very personable. The people she interviews are excited to see her and obviously like her. Which makes the viewing so much more enjoyable. I've seen a few that where just as entertaining because it was so amusing watching just the opposite interaction play out... interviewees practically curling lips and rolling eyes at the host. Not so here.
For anyone looking online if you can't access BBC iPlayer, as of 2015, there are 3 series. The first two have 4 episodes; the third, at least so far, only has 3.
The series was engaging, and held my attention quite well even though I was already familiar with many of the sites. This would be a wonderful show for families and schools to use a "career day" introduction to the field. While some viewers may tend to perceive the field as glamorous based on only one or two episodes, if you watch them all, it ends up realistically portraying working in all sorts of weather, the physical labor involved, and the painstaking nature (some might say drudgery) of lab work.
I found this series to be well worth my time.
