13 May 2010
Channel 4’s Time Team are coming to Jersey to discover more about Jersey’s medieval and WWII heritage.
Mont Orgueil Castle and the Jersey War Tunnels will take centre stage in 2 Time Team Channel 4 episodes, to be made in Jersey later this month. The programme researchers spent last week in the Island looking at both sites and collecting background evidence from the Société Jersiaise and Digimap.
Director of Jersey Heritage, Jonathon Carter, said “Time Team is a very popular programme with a huge following, so this is a great opportunity to showcase some of the Island's most important heritage sites. I know they will inspire a lot of interest all over the world for Jersey and our heritage.
"We are very grateful to Warwick Rodwell, our director of archaeological investigations at Mont Orgeuil between 1999 - 2006, who mentioned Jersey to the Time Team when he was making a programme with them about Westminster Abbey, where he is now consultant archaeologist.”
Time Team presenter Tony Robinson was so impressed when he visited the Jersey War Tunnels that when Collections Manager, Chris Addy, suggested the adjacent anti-aircraft battery site as a possible Time Team project, he took the proposal forward.
Pleased with the decision to come to Jersey, Chris Addy said “This programme will communicate the Channel Islands’ unique WWII occupation in the British Isles and inspire visitors to come and discover more about it for themselves."
Economic Development Minister, Senator Alan Maclean, said “We are delighted at the exposure the Time Team will give Jersey when broadcast in 2011. Heritage is one of the key elements cited in all our visitor surveys as a reason to visit the Island. With 2 programmes, Jersey has the opportunity to show case the diversity of our historical sites, from medieval times to WWII.
"We have been working on this project for several months in partnership with the heritage organisations and tourism partners - Condor Ferries, the Hotel de France and Destination Specialists. They have all contributed to the success of Jersey by putting a package together to help make it happen.”
gov.je