Time Team, the renowned archaeology series, has teamed up with the Ness of Brodgar research team once again to reveal a groundbreaking discovery at one of Europe’s most significant Neolithic sites.
The final season of excavation at Ness of Brodgar, located in Mainland, Orkney, was filmed by Time Team during the summer of 2024. Although the trenches have since been backfilled, the investigation did not come to a halt. In partnership with the Ness team, Time Team conducted a cutting-edge geophysical survey across the entire site.
For Dr. John Gater of Time Team, this was a “homecoming” of sorts. Over two decades ago, his initial geophysical work played a crucial role in uncovering the remarkable settlement that would later capture the world’s attention as the Ness of Brodgar.
The results of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey, conducted in collaboration with Guideline Geo and SUMO GeoSurveys, surpassed the team’s expectations. The survey revealed the positions of multiple previously unknown Neolithic buildings, including some of monumental size, expanding the known footprint of the complex and providing a deeper understanding of its development over five thousand years ago.
However, one discovery stood out among the rest. When the Ness project directors – Nick Card, Professor Mark Edmonds, and Anne Mitchell – were shown the geophysics results, their reaction said it all.
“We weren’t expecting that,” exclaimed Director Nick Card.
“The new buildings are fascinating, but there’s one feature unlike anything we’ve seen so far,” added Anne Mitchell.
“Oh dear,” joked Mark Edmonds. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have buried my trowel on site.”
The findings have raised the possibility that, even after two decades of excavation, the Ness still holds secrets that require a final, targeted look. Time Team will join the Ness team in summer 2026 for one last excavation season, culminating in a Time Team special to be broadcast later in the year.
This partnership between Time Team and Orkney is a longstanding one, dating back to the Viking boat burial on Sanday in 1998 and the Iron Age site at Mine Howe in 2000. More recently, Time Team has also worked on sites such as Swandro on Rousay in 2025. The Ness of Brodgar has been a defining project for modern archaeology, garnering international attention and reshaping our understanding of Neolithic Britain.
The Creator and Executive Producer of Time Team, Tim Taylor, expressed his gratitude for being able to follow the Ness story for over two decades. He also noted how returning to the site, at the end of its excavation phase, and contributing to new discoveries of this scale was extraordinary. Time Team’s recent renaissance, driven by a large global online audience for archaeology, has allowed the team to reconnect with sites of exceptional importance. Their expansion of the classic three-day format into long-form documentaries, including recent work at Sutton Hoo and major projects across the UK, has brought a new level of depth, analysis, and public engagement to their investigations.
The Ness of Brodgar is located within the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, which is among the most significant prehistoric landscapes in Europe. Tens of thousands of visitors travel to Orkney every summer to witness the excavations before they closed in 2024. Time Team’s upcoming documentary will share the final chapter of this remarkable site, featuring expert insights, reconstructed models, geophysics visualizations, and exclusive interviews with the Ness of Brodgar team.
The documentary will explore the final season of excavation at the Ness, the emotional conclusion of two decades of fieldwork, the new geophysical discoveries and what they reveal about life, ritual, and architecture 5,000 years ago. It will also cover the new month-long excavation in 2026, making it one of the most significant Neolithic investigations ever released by Time Team.