With the aid of experts from the British Museum, Dan Walker, Michaela Strachan and Raksha Dave unearth the hidden history of the nation with the help of an army of metal detectorists, who use their kit and skills to scour an authorised patch of land for artefacts and items lost by people through the centuries. In the first edition they set up camp in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, searching in the shadow of a ruined castle and between Roman and Viking settlements
Members of Metal Detecting Scotland join Dan Walker, Michaela Strachan, and Raksha Dave in their search for artefacts and items lost by people near Loch Leven in Perth and Kinross. The setting is rich in history, and with Lochleven Castle as a backdrop, the team follows in the footsteps of Robert the Bruce and Mary Queen of Scots, both of whom have close ties to the location.
In this third episode, the team have permission to set up camp near Fincham in Norfolk. At this site, they are working with local detectorists from the Kings Lynn Metal Detecting Group. This group has great prestige and boasts some of the most experienced detectorists in the country among its ranks. Norfolk has a reputation as the metal detecting capital of the UK, so the team are expecting great things here! The site is a stone's throw from where detectorists from the Kings Lynn club discovered the final resting place of the Lancaster bomber featured in episode one of the series. This rich military history and an abundance of Saxon and Viking settlements, and potentially even some Bronze Age activity, meant the Digging for Treasure: Tonight team had to visit. The team are prepared for anything on this field survey in Norfolk. They have secured access to a huge area that hasn't been searched in any detail before — it really should be rich pickings! The research team are hoping to find
In the final episode of the current series, the team have permission to set up camp in the shadow of the iconic Southwark Cathedral in London. The team focus on mudlarking on the banks of the Thames foreshore at London Bridge. Thanks to the anaerobic mud, items from many eras regularly wash up — anything from Victorian pots and pipes to a rare sword from the Middle Ages. Leading mudlarking expert Lara Maiklem heads up a team of passionate local experts who regularly turn up remarkable historical artefacts from the capital's rich past. Lara takes us to the north foreshore of the Thames to discuss the history of mudlarking, which began as a survival method for those who were not well off to scavenge dropped items from boats, going all the way to today's hobbyists uncovering hidden history in the mud.