Episode 1
Neil Oliver, Chris Packham, Andy Torbet and Dr Shini Somara join archaeologists from around the world who have gathered in Orkney to investigate one of Europe's biggest digs.
Orkney - seven miles off the coast of Scotland and cut off by the tumultuous Pentland Firth, the fastest flowing tidal race in Europe, is often viewed as being remote. But recent discoveries there are turning the stone age map of Britain upside down. Rather than an outpost at the edge of the world, recent finds suggest an extraordinary theory - that Orkney was the cultural capital of our ancient world and the origin of the stone circle cult which culminated in Stonehenge.
In this three-part series, Neil Oliver, Chris Packham, Andy Torbet and Dr Shini Somara join hundreds of archaeologists from around the world who have gathered there to investigate at one of Europe's biggest digs.
Chris Packham uncovers the secrets revealed by the DNA of Orkney's unique vole, Neil Oliver explores Orkney's tombs and monuments, Dr Shini Somara experiments to discover how the Orcadians could have moved giant blocks of stone over rough ground and archaeological adventurer Andy Torbet climbs Orkney's most challenging sea-stack to unlock the story of Orkney's unusual geology.
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Clips
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The Tomb of Lairo
Duration: 02:03
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Vertigo at the sea stack
Duration: 01:20
Music Played
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Papon
Ejaak Botahe Kole
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Neil Oliver |
Series Producer | Jamie Simpson |
Executive Producer | Rachel Bell |
Broadcasts
- Mon 2 Jan 2017 21:00
- Sat 7 Jan 2017 18:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Wales
- Sat 7 Jan 2017 19:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Wales
- Sat 21 Jan 2017 03:25
- Thu 2 Feb 2017 20:00
- Fri 3 Feb 2017 01:30
- Sun 6 Aug 2017 17:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Scotland
- Sun 6 Aug 2017 19:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Scotland
- Tue 3 Jul 2018 20:00
- Wed 4 Jul 2018 03:00
- Tue 19 Mar 2019 20:00
- Sun 2 Jun 2019 19:30
- Sat 19 Oct 2019 20:00
- Tue 31 Mar 2020 22:00
- Tue 9 Feb 2021 22:00
- Thu 11 Feb 2021 19:30
- Sat 26 Feb 2022 18:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Scotland
- Wed 16 Nov 2022 19:00
- Sun 2 Jul 2023 22:30
- Sun 9 Jul 2023 00:40
- Tue 5 Mar 2024 20:00
- Mon 18 Mar 2024 15:30
- Mon 14 Oct 2024 16:15Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Scotland
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Orkney: Britain's Ancient Capital
Neil Oliver, Chris Packham, Andy Torbet and Dr Shini Somara explore the secrets of Orkney.
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