Dig! Best Popular Factual Programme 2024
More4’s hit series The Great British Dig won the coveted Best Popular Factual Programme at the Broadcast Digital Awards last night. It was the third time the series had been nominated and was once again up against the biggest and best factual shows from the year.
Judges were greatly impressed this year by The Great British Dig – and viewers were too, with an average of 600K per episode, peaking at 730K.
They called the show, which is currently in its 4th series : “‘An innovative, engaging series which brings history alive and shows us how close the past is. Brilliant casting and contributors.”
The programme sees presenter and comedian Hugh Dennis join a team of archaeologists unearthing archaeological sites across the country, often hidden in people’s back gardens.
The judges praised the show’s accessibility and said they enjoyed the “community aspect” of the programme, bringing people local to the digs and the viewers into the narrative. One judge said: “Such a great way to make history accessible – the discoveries are literally in your back garden.”
The programme faced several challenges, not least the global pandemic, a 10-week turnaround time, and a £110K budget per episode. But The Great British Dig was able to overcome all the obstacles in its way in what another judge called “brilliant programme making for an impossible budget.”
They went on to say: “Absolutely love it, and I applaud the production company’s attitude to career progression.”