Meet the Ancestors

Richards investigates the discovery of a subterranean chamber discovered by two pot-holing divers, Andrew Goddard and Phil Murphy, in the Yorkshire Dales which contains human remains from the Bronze Age and visits a cave in which a prehistoric footprint has been unearthed.

Richards investigates a bulldozer-operator's discovery of bodies cremated almost 2,000 years ago on a beach near Donegal, providing an insight into the lives and deaths of Ireland's first Christians.

Richards joins a team excavating a large sarcophagus from a Bristol burial site discovered by a bulldozer-operator which could shed light on the Roman lifestyle.

Richards investigates the remains of a body dating from Saxon times, discovered in the grounds of Malmesbury Abbey, which could be the final resting place of King Athelstan.

Richards investigates remains of two crouched bodies discovered in a remote Somerset village that DNA experts link with the Iron Age.

Richards investigates the priceless contents of a fourth-century lead sarcophagus found in a Roman cemetery in Winchester, which gives unexpected clues to the pagan beliefs of its wealthy occupant.