Series heralding hidden histories of Britain’s towns draws on University expertise

Leading Roman archaeologist acts as historical consultant.

Senior Lecturer in Roman Archaeology Dr Peter Guest advised on Roman Chester for the new series "Britain's Most Historic Towns" on Channel Four.

The six-part series highlights the rich tapestry of the UK’s past by giving an in depth look at key periods through some of our most-loved cities.

Presented by alumna Professor Alice Roberts (BSc 1994, MBBCh 1997), the series features six towns with a difference: Roman Chester, Viking York, Norman Winchester, Tudor Norwich, Regency Cheltenham and Victorian Belfast. The programmes use CGI to show how these historically important sites might have looked at these key periods in British history.

An expert in Roman Britain, Dr Guest directed ground-breaking excavations at the legionary Roman fortress of Isca at modern-day Caerleon in southeast Wales. One of only three permanent legionary fortresses in Britain, its archaeological remains lie relatively undisturbed, unlike its sister sites of Chester and York. The excavations drew global attention with the discovery of a complex of very large monumental buildings outside the fortress between the River Usk and the amphitheatre in 2010/2011.

Catch "Britain's Most Historic Towns" weekly at 8pm from Saturday 7th April on Channel Four.