If you have ever yearned to dig up an Ancient Roman, BBC TV’s history documentary ‘Digging for Britain’ allows you to do it from the comfort of your armchair.

The latest episode aired from Series 9 has Professor Alice Roberts grubbing about in the ruins of a Norman Church, beneath which is a Roman site that reveals some of the first coinage from the Roman era in Britain. Situated just outside Stoke Mandeville, the site is a bonus of the ongoing excavations resulting from the UK’s HS2 railway construction.

The Norman structure is estimated to date from AD 1080 – and if digging is what you dig, around 300 skeletons, including a headless figure that appears to have been rolled into their grave quite casually, make an appearance.

You also get to witness the reunion of a headless bust with the owner – a beautiful Roman woman whose hairstyle should be a clue to the date of the site, also.

You can plunder the entire BBC Digging for Britain back catalogue on BBC iPlayer.

The latest Episode 2 of Series 9 can be seen on iPlayer currently for the next 29 days.

Buon viaggio!