Villages By The Sea
Villages By The Sea is a TV show on BBC2. Archaeologist Ben Robinson uncovers the history and heritage of beautiful coastal villages from across the UK, showcasing their often unsung role in the nation's story. The program has been available since 2024. A total of 51 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in June 2025.
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Villages By The Sea
Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits the tiny Hampshire village that had a huge role in building ships for Nelson's victorious fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.
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Ben Robinson visits Laxey on the Isle of Man to discover what drew Victorians to the tourist destination.
Ben Robinson explores Parkgate on the estuary of the River Dee in Cheshire. The village is landlocked due to the estuary’s shifting silt. But 250 years ago, it was a bustling harbour.
Archaeologist Ben Robinson unearths the Suffolk village of Orford’s history of defending the British Isles.
Ben Robinson visits Northumberland’s Craster to find out how a family who shares the name have had their lives and fortunes intertwined with the village for over 800 years
Archaeologist Ben Robinson uncovers the secrets of Cornwall’s Tintagel, famed as the legendary birthplace of King Arthur.
Series 5
Archaeologist Ben Robinson investigates how a Cornish gem of a village became a world-famous centre of tin mining where people made and lost huge fortunes.
Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers how Dutch settlers in the 1500s transformed the Norfolk village of Cley next the Sea.
Archaeologist, Ben Robinson visits the Yorkshire coastal village of Flamborough and discovers its historic chalk buildings.
Archaeologist Ben Robinson uncovers evidence of the German occupation of the Jersey village of Gorey and the role it played in defending the UK.
The quiet village of Ravenglass in the Lake District’s National Park played a strategic role in the Roman empire, as archaeologist Ben Robinson finds out.
Series 3 30:00
30:00Ben Robinson visits the Norfolk village of Cley next the Sea and finds due to Dutch settlers in the Elizabethan era, it's not as 'next the sea' as it once was.
30:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits the Yorkshire coastal village of Flamborough and discovers its historic chalk buildings.
30:00Ben Robinson discovers more about the quiet village of Ravenglass in the Lake District's National Park, which played a strategic role in the Roman empire.
35:00Ben Robinson visits Laxey on the Isle of Man to discover the unusual attraction that drew Victorians to the tourist destination - the biggest waterwheel in the world.
Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers how the small hamlet of Botallack was the centre of the Cornish tin and copper mining industry, and supplied a deadly poison to the world.
Series 2 25:00
25:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits Alnmouth on England’s north east coast and discovers the village’s historical role in feeding the nation.
Archaeologist Ben Robinson reveals the story of smuggling intrigue and bravery on the Yorkshire coast.
Archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers the story of the monks and villagers of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, off the Northumberland coast.
Series 3 35:00
35:00Archaeologist Ben Robinson uncovers evidence of the German occupation of the Jersey village of Gorey and the role it played in defending the UK.