• 28
    watchers
  • 223
    plays
  • 223
    collected
  • 2013-10-17T19:00:00Z on ITV
  • 50m
  • 6h 40m (8 episodes)
  • United Kingdom
  • English
Britain's Secret Treasures is a British documentary shown on ITV1 hosted by Michael Buerk and Bettany Hughes. The programme features fifty archaeological discoveries that have been made in England, Wales and Scotland by members of the public. With the exception of a single find made in Scotland, all the objects featured were recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). Since the PAS was set up in 1997, some 800,000 objects have been registered with the scheme, many of them discovered by amateur metal detectorists.

8 episodes

Season Premiere

2013-10-17T19:00:00Z

2x01 Episode 1

Season Premiere

2x01 Episode 1

  • 2013-10-17T19:00:00Z50m

Actor James Purefoy tells the tale of an ancient sword at the heart of Northumberland's history, and broadcaster and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota uncovers the story of a discovery in Lincolnshire that on first glance appeared to be bomb fragments - but was later suspected to be the remains of a statue of Roman emperor Domitian and his horse.

2013-10-24T19:00:00Z

2x02 Episode 2

2x02 Episode 2

  • 2013-10-24T19:00:00Z50m

Comedian Vic Reeves investigates the mystery of an ancient bronze helmet unearthed near his home in Kent, while former Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson tries to reunite a First World War victory medal with its rightful owners.

Historian Tom Holland tells the story of eight Roman copper coins discovered by a treasure hunter in fields close to Hadrian's Wall.

2013-10-31T20:00:00Z

2x03 Episode 3

2x03 Episode 3

  • 2013-10-31T20:00:00Z50m

Astrologer Russell Grant tells the story of a bronze Capricorn figurine unearthed by a Somerset couple in 2011, which provides an insight into the vital role of star signs in the life of Roman emperor Augustus.

Bettany Hughes hears the tragic tale of an 18th-century ring found by a man in Shropshire in 2005, while Michael Buerk investigates an 800-year-old coat of arms badge discovered by a postman in the ruins of an old monastery in Dumfries and Galloway.

Suzannah Lipscomb researches the history of a medieval gold locket from Rolleston, Nottinghamshire, thought to have belonged to a pair of lovers torn apart by war.

2013-11-07T20:00:00Z

2x04 Episode 4

2x04 Episode 4

  • 2013-11-07T20:00:00Z50m

Kevin Whately finds out about a set of Bronze Age horns discovered by a farm labourer in Co Antrim in 1844, while historian Kate Williams travels to Belle Isle near Enniskillen to tell the story of a piece of gold jewellery that dates back thousands of years.

Bettany Hughes explores the tale of the Clonmore Shrine, starting at the banks of the Blackwater River near Co Armagh.

2013-11-14T20:00:00Z

2x05 Episode 5

2x05 Episode 5

  • 2013-11-14T20:00:00Z50m

A vast hoard of Roman coins leads John Prescott to discover that political spin began much earlier than he thought,

Mary-Ann Ochota tells the story of an astonishing Iron Age mirror, and Bettany Hughes reveals the royal secret behind a hunting badge attached to a bird of prey.

Suzannah Lipscomb travels to Essex, where an Elizabethan pendant was found five years ago by a carpenter on the grounds of Ingatestone Hall.

2013-11-21T20:00:00Z

2x06 Episode 6

2x06 Episode 6

  • 2013-11-21T20:00:00Z50m

Mariella Frostrup visits Germany to investigate a badge that reveals the story of a massacre and a forgotten English saint, while Ekow Eshun researches the origins of an unusual 17th-century grooming aid.

Suzannah Lipscomb travels to Holy Island off the coast of Northumberland on the trail of Elizabethan coins.

2013-11-28T20:00:00Z

2x07 Episode 7

2x07 Episode 7

  • 2013-11-28T20:00:00Z50m

Michael Portillo tells the remarkable story behind a pair of tiny toy soldiers found at Fort George near Inverness, and Bettany Hughes meets the Stirlingshire landscape gardener who uncovered a £1million hoard of gold.

Michael Buerk takes a trip along the River Tay in a Bronze Age log boat.

2013-12-05T20:00:00Z

2x08 Episode 8

2x08 Episode 8

  • 2013-12-05T20:00:00Z50m

Katherine Jenkins travels to Boverton in the Vale of Glamorgan to tell the story of a remarkable find of Iron Age jewellery.

Bettany Hughes visits the Isle of Wight to meet the girl who uncovered a 5,000-year-old tool while on a school trip, and Mary-Ann Ochota dives for treasure at the site of the sunken HMS Colossus off the Isles of Scilly. Last in the series.

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