Synopsis
In advance of the construction of HS2, the biggest ever cemetery excavation in Britain reveals the forgotten stories of rich and poor in Georgian London.
- Programme: Britain's Biggest Dig
- Episode: 1
- Channel: BBC Two
- Broadcast year: 2020
- History
Licence: ERA Licence required
Free to watch for UK schools, colleges and universities with an ERA Licence
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from Britain's Biggest Dig
Episode 2 | Britain's Biggest Dig
Episode 2 | Britain's Biggest Dig
Professor Alice Roberts and Dr Yasmin Khan dig deeper through the excavations at St James's burial ground on the hunt for the lost explorer...
Episode 3 | Britain's Biggest Dig
Episode 3 | Britain's Biggest Dig
How working-class Victorians made Birmingham one of the most important industrial cities on the planet, why some skeletons have mysterious ...
Victorian living conditions | Britain's Biggest Dig
Victorian living conditions | Britain's Biggest Dig
Dr Yasmin Khan discovers the awful living conditions the workers during the Industrial Revolution had put up with.
Episode 2 | Britain's Biggest Dig
Episode 2 | Britain's Biggest Dig
Professor Alice Roberts and Dr Yasmin Khan dig deeper through the excavations at St James's burial ground on the hunt for the lost explorer...
Episode 3 | Britain's Biggest Dig
Episode 3 | Britain's Biggest Dig
How working-class Victorians made Birmingham one of the most important industrial cities on the planet, why some skeletons have mysterious ...
Victorian living conditions | Britain's Biggest Dig
Victorian living conditions | Britain's Biggest Dig
Dr Yasmin Khan discovers the awful living conditions the workers during the Industrial Revolution had put up with.
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Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here
Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here
Professor Jeremy Black explains the unique economic, social and political factors that helped Britain transform itself almost ent...
S02E03: The Worst Industrial Jobs in History | The Worst Jobs In History
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Among the Worst Industrial Jobs in History are: Bridge builders, Canal leggers, bone cleaner to make...
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Britain 1750-1900: 06: 1900-1909 - Britain at its peak? | History File
Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisatio...
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