The Scottish Crannog Centre by Kenmore, Loch Tay, is to feature in a new primetime television series later this month. Aimed at a wide audience, History Hunters will run on BBC1 every night for a week, visiting locations throughout the UK. The programme is presented by Dan Snow, who wanted to learn more about crannogs and thought the subject would have broad appeal, especially to audiences south of the border. The production team contacted the crannog experts from the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology and arranged to film both underwater and at the five-star Crannog Centre.
     Led by underwater archaeologists Dr Nick Dixon and Ms Barrie Andrian, Dan visited a number of crannog sites in Loch Tay and then dived at the early Iron Age site of Oakbank Crannog, where he was stunned by the size of the house remains and the level of preservation of the timbers. He also helped collect a timber sample for radiocarbon dating. Having seen the real site, Dan was then keen to visit the reconstruction at the Scottish Crannog Centre by Kenmore to try to make sense of the immense underwater jigsaw of collapsed ancient timbers. He tried out a range of the hands-on ancient technology activities and even made fire—at his first attempt—in front of a packed crowd. "I knew nothing about crannogs before this trip," he said.
     History Hunters is part of The One Show, a new magazine programme covering a range of themes in locations across the UK. Dan and the production team will return to Loch Tay on August 21 for a live outside broadcast, just before the programme airs at 7pm on BBC1.

Sources: The Courier, Health Club Management (11 August 2006)