I guess this is the problem of generalists pontificating on a specialist subject which they appear to know very little about. Elementary stuff.

The programme was repeated this evening and I was amazed that a large part of it was devoted to travelling and the locality. Not much of an investigation, certainly not in the mines!

And this is exactly why a small group of us have spent the last three years attempting to produce 'A Framework Document for the Archaeology of the Extractive Industries' for English Heritage. I say attempting - the lack of support from several parts of the English mining areas has severely hampered the project. This will possibly lead to a lop-sided document at the end, but we have done the best we can with a deafening lack of interest from various quarters.