Villages By The Sea
Villages By The Sea is a TV show on BBC2. Archaeologist Ben Robinson uncovers the history and heritage of British coastal villages. The program has been available since 2025. A total of 51 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in December 2025.
Last episode
25:00
25:00Villages By The Sea
Ben Robinson discovers how the Cornish village of Botallack was the centre of the Cornish tin and copper mining industry and supplied a deadly poison to the world.
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25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits the picturesque Georgian village of Charlestown on the southwest coast of Cornwall and learns how it was shaped by the vision of one man.
35:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers how traditional boat building shaped the beautifully preserved village of Arnside on the banks of the River Kent in Cumbria.
25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits the village of Staithes in North Yorkshire and unearths its role in kickstarting the chemical industry in the northeast of England.
25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits Alnmouth on England's northeast coast and discovers the village's historical role in feeding the nation.
25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson uncovers the secrets of the Edwardian settlement of Thorpeness in Suffolk, which was the first purpose-built seaside village in the UK.
35:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson uncovers how the health and fortune of the village of Bamburgh was shaped by those in charge of its famous castle.
Series 1
25:00
25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson examines the history of Clovelly in Devon, looking at its transformation from fishing harbour to romantic Victorian seaside resort.
25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson examines the history of the monks and villagers of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, which lies off the Northumberland coast.
25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson examines the history of Robin Hood's Bay, a fishing village on the North Yorkshire coast, and reveals tales of smuggling intrigue and bravery.
35:00Ben Robinson examines the history of Walberswick, a former medieval port on the Suffolk coast which is now a favourite retreat for writers, artists and day trippers.
25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson examines the history of Lancashire village Sunderland Point, which was once a busy port and instrumental in the slave trade.
Series 4
Ben Robinson travels to Johnshaven, a once-important Scottish fishing village that diversified into the flax and jute trade when its skilled sailors were press-ganged into the Royal Navy.
Ben Robinson unearths the past of Greyabbey, a village on Northern Ireland’s beautiful Strangford Lough, and discovers the history of its moneymaking kelp industry.
Ben Robinson unearths the past of Porthgain, Pembrokeshire, built for its industry exporting slate, then brickwork, then finally stone used for the nation’s roads.
Ben Robinson travels to Seaton Sluice, home to the notorious Delaval family and the site of a past bottle works that shaped the village.
Ben Robinson heads to Beer, Devon, home to beer stone, which has been quarried since Roman times and used in many of England's cathedrals and iconic buildings.
Ben Robinson discovers some of the impressive and well-preserved lime kilns in Solva, Wales, and learns how this industry helped feed a growing nation.
Ben Robinson makes an amazing discovery at Norfolk’s Holkham estate – its lost medieval village, seen for the first time since its disappearance 200 years ago.
Ben Robinson travels to Cushendall in Northern Ireland to explore the Curfew Tower and schoolhouse, built by its forward-thinking 19th-century merchant landlord.