Archaeology drama Bonekickers has been dropped by BBC1 after just one series following a mauling by the critics and disappointing ratings.

Sad news indeed, but it seems like we’ve seen the last of the Bonekicker.

A BBC spokesman said: “Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham have decided to concentrate on new projects and not write a second series of Bonekickers. We look forward to working with them in the future.”

From Broadcast

From Digitalspy

Bonekickers star Adrian Lester has revealed that he is confident about the future of the show. The BBC One archaeology drama has received few positive reviews from critics and has lost over 2 million viewers since it attracted 6.8m for its premiere episode last month. Despite this, Adrian – who plays Dr Ben Ergha – has insisted that the programme will have long-term appeal because it can constantly (more)

By Daniel Kilkelly

We know you’ve loved series one. What are your thoughts about it?

Predictions and suggestions for season two?

Possible spinoffs and link ups?

Tuesday 12 August
9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE

Professor Gillian Magwilde risks her reputation, friendships and even her life on a quest for her deepest obsession, the greatest sword in history, in the final episode of the series. This obsession is steeped in Arthurian legend and the poetry of Tennyson, and it drove Gillian’s mother, Karen, mad. Now Gillian needs to end this quest. She must come to terms with her relationship with Viv and the mysterious man who has been trying to contact her, Henry Timberdyne.

When well-funded and media-aware archaeologist Michael Gift and his team dig up an intriguing Arthurian find near Glastonbury, Gillian becomes obsessed. Kevin Schaffer, who tipped off the team about the find, is found dead. Gillian begins to drive her loyal team away. She fires Viv and watches Gregory leave when she refuses to listen to his words of caution about Timberdyne and the Disciples of Good Use. Haunting visions of a younger Karen and a man with a white mask flood back to Gillian. The Disciples were the start of Karen’s calamity – will they also drive Gillian mad? When Ben suggests that Gillian has drawn a white mask on the wall of her secret room she pushes her last ally away.
Read the rest of this entry »

A British First World War tank containing the burnt remains of six bodies is uncovered in France, as the team of archaeologists uncover another compelling mystery. The tank has been buried since 1917 and the discovery ignites an international archaeological feud between Professor Gillian Magwilde and her German counterpart, Dr Becker, while bureaucratic French official Monsieur Luc struggles to remain neutral.

Evidence of a war crime emerges and tensions rise between nations. When John Athorn from the MOD arrives at the dig site, he is engulfed in the fractious dispute over the finds. The team has been able to identify one of the bodies as Major Banks of the Greenwich Fusilier. Banks brought the tank to Verdun with war correspondent Captain Roberts. The investigation soon changes direction when a German dog tag naming Gruber is discovered.

it soon becomes clear that Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday 29 July
9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE

The looting of Babylonian relics from the Iraq war starts a trail that intertwines with the destiny of the Middle East, as the drama continues.

Opportunistic war-zone journalist Jimmy Paul attempts to flog a Babylonian necklace and sacred tablet to dodgy antiquities dealer Max Garris, while Kahmil Hammadi, an Iraqi archaeologist and Gillian’s ex-lover, arrives in Bath with a cultural delegation.

Gillian is suspicious of Kahmil’s story to reclaim a looted brick from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Read the rest of this entry »

Professor Gillian Magwilde and her team of archaeologists uncover another compelling mystery this week, as the high-risk exploration of secret Celtic chambers beneath the Roman Baths unlocks a love story past and present. The ancient and tragic tale of Celtic Warrior Queen Boudicca and Roman soldier Quintanus is unravelled in the present by Gillian and Ben, who confront their own unresolved relationship amidst dark, claustrophobic chambers.

When an Earth tremor at the Roman Baths dislodges highly toxic gas and the area is evacuated, Gillian has the opportunity to prove to her team that Boudicca was captured and imprisoned by Quintanus. The team’s excavation uncovers 1st-century Celtic metalwork, a jawbone and an Iceni coin bearing the face of Boudicca. Gillian is positive that these are remnants of the Celtic villages described in an ancient text. Read the rest of this entry »

David (BAJR) has suggested a ‘kickers drinking game.

Any suggestions on the rules?

Bones thought to belong to 18th- century slaves are discovered in the Bristol Channel, as the team of archaeologists, led by Professor Gillian Magwilde, uncover another compelling mystery.

A ship’s bell is also found in the mud flats, linking the bones with the ship The Somerset. Dr Adabankah, a charismatic academic from Ghana, demands that the bones are taken back to their homeland.

Gillian finds there are no records of The Somerset carrying slaves and accounts suggest the ship ended its days in North America, rather than the Bristol Channel. But pages from the ship’s ledger were tampered with in the Sixties. Read the rest of this entry »

What do you think so far? leave a comment.