06-20-2013, 05:20 AM
Quote:I wondered if they wanted the host to be clueless. He played the part of someone completely out of his element, and the archaeologists were always explaining things to him. This would be a way for the viewers to learn what was going on. However, if he was damaging the sites because he didn't know better, that would be a problem.You hit the nail on the head. He studied archaeology in the Extramural Dept at Bristol, which was where he met Mick Aston. Walking over a trowelled site isn't damaging it irrevocably (I used to do it, but then I was the director) as you can just clean it again (in fact you can't plan it without walking on it; I was a planner too). Newspapers forever insist on the stock photo of you 'trowelling' a piece of already-cleaned surface, grinning inanely (I do that anyway). It was artifice, a device to engage the viewer by making him look more stupid than he really was... ish. ;-)
Mike Bishop
