We are delighted to announce that Phil Harding is the winner of this year’s prestigious Archaeologist of the Year award.
A household name following his appearance on 20 seasons of Channel 4’s Time Team, Phil’s enthusiasm for archaeology has inspired countless others to enter the discipline. As well as digging at some of Britain’s most iconic sites with Time Team, Phil is also a senior field archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology. He is honorary President of the Defence Archaeology Group, a tri-service extension of Operation Nightingale, the MOD initiative using archaeological fieldwork to help the recovery of injured servicemen. Despite the announcement of Time Team‘s cancellation by Channel 4 at the end of last year, the programme has secured a lasting legacy by cementing archaeology in the public consciousness.
On receiving the award, Phil said the following:
‘Stone the crows, I am not used to making acceptance speeches, but thank you to everyone who voted in the Current Archaeology Awards — not just those who voted for me, but everyone who registered their feelings about any of the projects. It shows how important archaeology is.
‘I would not have been offended if either of the other nominees had won; Bob Bewley [Heritage Lottery Fund] and Gustav Milne [Thames Discovery Programme] are seriously good archaeologists.
‘Thank you everyone for expressing an interest in archaeology. Sharing our love of the past is what it is all about and helps to keep archaeology alive.’
Below are all the nominees in this category:
phil deserves his award for generating interest in archaeology for the past twenty years.Can anyone tell us what is happening to the rest of time team.can i also enter my disdust at channel four for ending what was a sussessful and absorbing programme.
Well done Phil greatly deserved after you and the “Team” bought Archaeology into the main stream of television its just not the same without you all. I wonder what the thinking was behind pulling the plug on Timeteam ratings nodoubt. Gone the way of Tomorrows world ,Equinox ect.
Congratulations again and I hope to see you again oneday on the box.