The Big Royal Dig

In this 2-hour special, timed to coincide with the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, Time Team (and special guest Neil Oliver) receive "unprecedented access" to three of Britain's most famous ancestral buildings in late August 2006. It also marked the 150th dig conducted by Time Team.  Tracing the history and evolution of each site, they begin with excavating a strange midden-like mound at Holyrood. They then turn their attention to the original structures and gardens of the former Buckingham House – in particular an ornamental canal and traces of the River Tyburn. Meanwhile, at Windsor Castle the team seeks evidence of Henry III's first building on the site – a great hall, and evidence of a Round Table (tournament) from the time of Edward III. Back at Holyrood, they search for evidence of a cloister destroyed by Henry VIII.