“Good luck in your job hunt but be aware, archies have one other attribute in common with meerkats, they are fiercely territorial, especially lately. They will try any available means to rid themselves of competitors in the workplace, not by setting South American tribes on them or burying them in an ancient Egyptian tomb but by more subtle yet no less effective means such as circulating malicious rumours designed to make them look good and you look bad, believe me, it's an archy-eat-archy world out there.

You would probably find my dissertation hits on much the same conclusions as Mick hit on, except I realised it in 2010 when I left Uni.

Here it is read it and weep:

http://tinyurl.com/6nqyvj8”

“You would find my dissertation follows the same line as Mick Aston's conclusions, only I made mine in 2010.
http://tinyurl.com/6nqyvj8

I suffered through writing it, it's only fair others suffer reading it.

Good luck in finding a position in community archaeology, be aware that archaeologists, especially in these turbulent economic times, share one more attribute with meerkats, they are very territorial and would try any available means to eliminate competitors in the work place, not by killing them, or setting South American tribes on them but by more subtle yet equally effective means of circulating malicious gossip to make you look bad and them look good, I've seen it first hand, believe me.”

“why is the word t u r d s deleted? it's middle-english - not swearing!! whatever next?!”

“well.... I have been known to cavort and caper on-site on occasion..... I am looking for suitable paid post in community archaeology..... perhaps I should apply to channel 4!!! (sadly I'm not sure I fulfil the media luvvy criteria for women on telly!). The trouble is though in reality that many people watch such programs for the gloss and lack of geeky presenters hence Tony Robinson - just geeky enough but a 'personality' to carry the show (personally, I'd rather see a number of other far better informed and interesting people lead the show who would be no less entertaining but much more intellectually engaging at the same time). It's all a balancing act really and as you say, when a show slides into 'reality' mode all is then lost to utter mediocrity and what is really an exercise in polishing metaphorical ****s.”

“You should see Time Team America, they say that kind of stuff all the time. I do not doubt the good intentions archaeologists have when taking part in programs however they almost always misread the relationship between them and the media. They go into a show thinking the site is the star and set about explaining it, the producers on the otherhand approach it with the idea that the archaeologists are the stars, in much the same way as the meerkats of meerkat manor are the stars, cavorting, capering, annoying and throwing hissy-fits at each other- in other words so -called reality TV. Most archaeologists, however, entering TV land with the best of intentions, are easily corrupted by the prospect of fame and MONEY and soon end up dancing through hoops, enter Alex Langlands who had great promise but sadly traded his principles for "show business". In a few months he'll be writing "Why I left Time Team".”

“I see what you are saying!! but I must admit (despite not being a very regular viewer of TT) I never heard anyone on the programme utter the line "don't mess with me... I'm an archaeologist"!! I still laugh out loud now when I remember that one single episode of Bone Kickers that I watched!! In seriousness though, perhaps what these programs really need to be brave enough to entertain with relevance and to use presenters and professionals who have a natural ability to share their passions with wider audiences, in my experience that is often enough to engage others. One other question though is why if Character is everything did they have to employ an archaeologist who looks like he urinates in his hat?!”

“Apart from some moments of genuine revelation Time Team and Bone Kickers have quite a lot in common when it comes to the preset characters, as both are essentially dramas.
1. The sartorial historian
2. The carousing, hat-wearing hard-drinking one
3. The eccentric one
4. The techno geek
5. The adventurous no-nonsense (likely Lara-esque) female to counter the testosterone
6. Her apprentice

As far as I seen, as far as producers are concerned, character is everything, content is nothing- which is why the archaeologists were left in charge of that.... for a while.”

“I agree with much of what you say Quintaine and as with many of us who don't share the media limelight but work very hard to promote the value of our evolving discipline, I still maintain that Time Team has done a good job of raising public awareness through entertainment. In order to reach as wide an audience as possible, the content would need to be widely accessible or as you say "dumbed down". It's a shame then that after so many years of bringing the subject to the public, they are not now beginning to raise the bar! It could be accepted that the general TT viewing public now have a fairly good understanding of the need to protect heritage sites and the value of scientific exploration so the content could perhaps reflect this by being more intellectually challenging. Heaven forefend we ever need to revisit Bone Kickers for our information!!”

“A lot of these dumbing down issues and indeed farcical elements have been in Time Team from the start. They are even celebrated and highlighted in the many interviews of Tim Taylor. Mick Aston made a much better living than most other archaeologists would have done by remaining reticent about the shash that goes on in TV land up to now. It is obvious to everyone involved in archaeology how fake TV is and how it misrepresents archaeology in order to present a show and Mick would have known this better than anyone. Books have been written about it and even I cut my dissertation on it.

I think, however, it is very unfair to sour relations with the media for future archaeologists when Mick and archaeologists like him should have spoken out when in a much stronger position and when problems first arose and not allow the public to be taken for the ride of their lives. It's not a perfect world- the life of the media archaeologist, but people have to make a living and Mick put up and shut up for a hell of a long time before being forced to comment, by the show's retooling. I think it shows the I'm all right Jack attitude exhibited sadly in a lot of archaeologists I have come across lately”

“A lot of these dumbing down issues and indeed farcical elements have been in Time Team from the start. They are even celebrated and highlighted in the many interviews of Tim Taylor. Mick Aston made a much better living than most other archaeologists would have done by remaining reticent about the shash that goes on in TV land up to now. It is obvious to everyone involved in archaeology how fake TV is and how it misrepresents archaeology in order to present a show and Mick would have known this better than anyone. Books have been written about it and even I cut my dissertation on it.

I think, however, it is very unfair to sour relations with the media for future archaeologists when Mick and archaeologists like him should have spoken out when in a much stronger position and when problems first arose and not allow the public to be taken for the ride of their lives. It's not a perfect world- the life of the media archaeologist, but people have to make a living and Mick put up and shut up for a hell of a long time before being forced to comment, by the show's retooling. I think it shows the I'm all right Jack attitude exhibited sadly in a lot of archaeologists I have come across lately”