The 'Time Team' squad is to carry out a dig in a bid to find artefacts linked to US Army regiment the Band of Brothers.
Tony Robinson working with the Time Team
Experts from the British archaeology show will work with Operation Nightingale to try and uncover lost items which were used by the soldiers during World War II.
The excavation commemorates 80 years since the legendary Easy Company of the US 101st Airborne Division were stationed in Wiltshire, England, ahead of the D-Day Normandy landings which took place on June 6, 1944 as well as other pivotal actions such as Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.
The dig will take place from May 2 to May 9 and is being led by Operation Nightingale, a Ministry of Defence initiative that uses archaeology to support the recovery of servicemen and women returning from conflict.
Matt Williams will provide daily updates as the action unfolds on Time Team’s Patreon channel. The full story will then be brought together in a Time Team Special documentary hosted by Sir Tony Robinson, airing at a later date.
Time Team’s creator and Series Producer Tim Taylor said: "We’re thrilled to be joining forces again with our good friends, Richard Osgood and Operation Nightingale. I’ve always believed in archaeology’s qualities for promoting good wellbeing. I can’t wait to see what we discover together!”
Richard Osgood, MBE, added: "Operation Nightingale last worked with Time Team in our early years, in 2012, and it’s wonderful to be reunited. Back then it was a Saxon cemetery, but this time we can’t wait to work together on a site of huge 20th century importance, and to continue our efforts to assist military veterans with the power of archaeology!”
The Band of Brothers dig follows the release of Time Team’s latest episodes: a Knights Hospitaller preceptory in Shropshire, and an international Expedition Crew collaboration investigating an ancient city in Greece.
The premieres led a record-breaking month of almost 1 million views worldwide, with another episode release on the way, featuring an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Norfolk.
First airing in 1994 on the UK’s Channel 4, 'Time Team', created by Series Producer Tim Taylor, became a Sunday teatime staple. Today, the show is watched in over 50 countries worldwide.
Presented by 'Blackadder' star Robinson 'Time Team' made household names of archaeologists including the late Mick Aston, Phil Harding and Carenza Lewis. Vintage episodes are available on the 'Time Team Classics' YouTube channel, which has over 200,000 subscribers worldwide.
Across 20 series, 'Time Team' investigated over 220 sites, including iconic landmarks Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey. At its height, 'Time Team' was one of the UK’s largest independent funders of archaeology, and the series is credited with boosting the popularity of archaeology in Britain.
The show relaunched independently in 2020 with the support of thousands of fans worldwide on the platform Patreon (patreon.com/TimeTeamOfficial).
New episodes hosted by Dr Gus Casely-Hayford, OBE are available on the 'Time Team' Official YouTube channel, which recently surpassed 150,000 subscribers and 10 million views.