February 11, at the University of Cambridge

Tony Robinson is giving a lecture and answering questions at the University of Cambridge on 11 February.  He is much loved for his portrayal of the dim-witted, muck-shovelling Baldrick in the BBC Two series Blackadder, in which his catch phrase is “I have a cunning plan”. He has also captivated audiences as presenter of Channel 4’s Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. Tony Robinson is nothing if not engagingly human and intellectually versatile.
  On Monday 11 February, Robinson will be at Cambridge University to talk about his role with Time Team, and his enduring passion for archaeology, at the Babbage Lecture Theatre, New Museums Site. The lecture, which begins at 3.30pm, is suitable for families with school-age children and sixth-formers, as well as university students.
  The event has been organised by the Personal Histories Project, a volunteer student-led programme which is run with guidance from Pamela Jane Smith of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. The idea of the project is to look at the development of the discipline through personal stories and memories which add another layer to published material.
 Robinson will give a 20-minute presentation about his work and will then take questions from the audience. The talk will be filmed and added to an expanding archive of talks by visiting speakers who have so far included Professor Lord Colin Renfrew, Professor Mick Aston, Dame Jane Goodall and Sir David Attenborough.
  Time Team and other television programmes have undoubtedly helped to inspire a new generation of archaeologists and raised public awareness of the excitement that comes through discovering the past.
Jamie Cameron, second year archaeology student and member of the Personal Histories Project team, says: “I started watching Time Team on Sunday evenings when I was ten and I was enthralled. I haven’t lost any of that enthusiasm and I’m hoping to study for a PhD in archaeology once I graduate.”
  Tickets for Tony Robinson’s talk are free and speedy booking is advised. They can be reserved and printed at http://www.personalhistoriesproject.eventbrite.co.uk. Before the event there will be free tea and cake in the ground floor of the Department of Earth Sciences on the Downing Site from 2.30-3.15pm.
  The lecture is supported by public donations and small grants from the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and the Thriplow Charitable Trust.
   (If I were in England next week, I'd definitely be in attendance!)