Digging for Britain

Production

The first series consisted of four episodes, broadcast on BBC Two in August and September 2010, with a second series of four episodes following in September 2011; each episode of these early series covered archaeology of a specific period. The programme returned as a three-episode series on BBC Four in February 2015, covering the previous summer's investigations in a specific geographical region per episode, with each episode hosted in a regional museum. This format was adopted for series 4 and 5, which first aired in March and December 2016 respectively.

A linked programme, Digging for Ireland, using the same format and presenters as series 5, was broadcast in February 2015. Series 6, beginning in November 2017, returned to a four-episode format covering three geographical regions plus one special theme, a structure retained for series 7 and 8 in November 2018 and 2019. Four episodes titled The Greatest Discoveries aired in 2020, and the 9th series began in January 2022. From series 3 onward, with the exception of series 5, the programme was co-presented in various forms by archaeologists and historians, including Matt Williams (series 3 and 4), Raksha Dave (series 7), Naoíse Mac Sweeney (series 8), and Onyeka Nubia, Cat Jarman, and Stuart Prior (series 9).

John-Henry Phillips appeared in series 12, and Tori Herridge and Meg Russell co-presented in series 13. On 5 June 2026, the BBC announced that Tori Herridge would become the main presenter after Alice Roberts' departure at the end of series 13. The song Coins for the Eyes was written for series 9 by Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane.