Bonekickers

Infobox Television
show_name = Bonekickers


caption = From left to right: Prof Gregory Parton (Hugh Bonneville), Dr Gillian Magwilde (Julie Graham), Dr Ben Ergha (Adrian Lester) and Viv Davis (Gugu Mbatha-Raw)
genre = Serial
creator = Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah
developer =
starring =
composer =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 6
list_episodes =
executive_producer =
location =
camera =
runtime =
network = BBC One
picture_format =
audio_format =
first_aired = 8 July 2008 - 12 August 2008
last_aired =
website = http://www.bbc.co.uk/bonekickers/
imdb_id = 1148181
tv_com_id =
bgcolour = #e6e9ff

"Bonekickers" is a BBC drama about a team of archaeologists, set at the fictional Wessex University.cite news|url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2008/7/7/bonekickers.html|title=University-based BBC1 drama Bonekickers to be aired tonight |work=Internal News|publisher=University of Bath|accessdate=2008-07-08] It debuted on 8 July 2008.

It is written by "Life on Mars" and "Ashes to Ashes" creators Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/06_june/13/bonekickers_1.shtml History comes alive in Bonekickers – new "groundbreaking" drama for BBC One] , BBC press release, June 13, 2008] . It is produced by Michele Buck and Damien Timmer and co-produced with Monastic Productions. Archaeologist and Bristol University academic Mark Horton acts as the series' archaeological consultant. [ [http://www.tvscoop.tv/2008/06/first_look_bone.html First Look: Bonekickers, the BBC's new 'Time Team meets Indiana Jones' drama series] , TV Scoop] Adrian Lester has described the programme as "CSI" meets "Indiana Jones" [...] There's an element of the crime procedural show, there's science, conspiracy theories – and there's a big underlying mystery that goes through the whole six-episode series." This is the revelation that Viv and Gillian are related,Viv was put up for adoption by Gillian's mother Karen and this has been kept secret. [Cite web
last = Warman
first = Matt
title = Bonekickers
work = Telegraph
accessdate = 2008-07-08
date = 2008-07-08
url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/07/08/nosplit/bvtvbonekickers08.xml]

Much of the series is filmed in the City of Bath, Somerset, with locations including the University of Bath campus. (Ironically, Archaeology courses are not available there.) Additional locations include Brean Down Fort and Kings Weston House (both for episode 2).

Characters

* Dr Gillian Magwilde – Julie Graham
* Dr Ben Ergha – Adrian Lester
* Professor Gregory "Dolly" Parton – Hugh Bonneville
* Vivian "Viv" Davis – Gugu Mbatha-Raw
* Professor Daniel Mastiff – Michael Maloney

Episode guide

Reception

Ratings

According to unofficial overnight figures, the first episode of the series was watched by 6.8 million viewers, achieving a 31% audience share.cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/09/tvratings.bbc?gusrc=rss&feed=media|title=TV ratings: 6.8m viewers dig Bonekickers on BBC1|last=Holmwood|first=Leigh|date=2008-07-09|work=guardian.co.uk|publisher=Guardian News and Media|accessdate=2008-07-10] This fell to 5.2 million viewers with a 24.3% share in the second week,cite news|url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/831974/BBC-Ones-Bonekickers-sheds-1m-viewers-second-outing/|title=BBC One's Bonekickers sheds 1m viewers on second outing|last=Davidson|first=Darren|date=2008-07-16|work=Brand Republic|publisher=Haymarket Media|accessdate=2008-07-16] and 4.6 million with a 21% share in the third.cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/23/tvratings.television?gusrc=rss&feed=media|title=TV ratings: Audiences plummet for BBC's Eastenders and Bonekickers|last=Holmwood|first=Leigh|date=2008-07-23|work=guardian.co.uk|publisher=Guardian News and Media|accessdate=2008-07-23] And week four fell again to 4.2 million, a 20% share. Week five dropped to 3.8 million. The final episode saw a slight increase in viewers to 4.3 million.cite news|url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/839013/C4s-Secret-Millionaire-hits-ratings-stride-37m/|title=C4's 'Secret Millionaire' hits ratings stride with 3.7m|last=Farey-Jones|first=Daniel|date=2008-08-13|work=Brand Republic|publisher=Haymarket Media|accessdate=2008-08-13]

First night reviews

The series debuted to broadly negative reviews. "The Guardian"'s Gareth McLean described the show as "mind-bogglingly dreadful", with "lame characters delivering abysmal lines", [Cite web| last = McLean| first = Gareth| title = Watch this| work = Guardian Unlimited| accessdate = 2008-07-08| date = 2008-07-08| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv_and_radio/story/0,,2289681,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=media] David Chater of "The Times" thought it "rubbish", [Cite web| last = Chater| first = David| title = Roman Mysteries – Bonekickers – Imagine: Anthony Minghella| work = Times Online| accessdate = 2008-07-08| date = 2008-07-08| url = http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article4288554.ece] and "The Independent"'s Thomas Sutcliffe found it laughable and full of absurdities, while also observing that "Professor Magwilde's approach to archaeology is unconventional. She likes to squat at the edge of the trench and mutter urgently, 'Come on! Give up your secrets!'" [Cite web| last = Sutcliffe| first = Thomas| title = Last Night's TV: Bonekickers, BBC1| work = The Independent| accessdate = 2008-07-09| date = 2008-07-09| url = http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/tv-radio-reviews/last-nights-tv-bonekickers-bbc1-imagine-bbc1-862886.html] In BBC Two's "Newsnight Review", the author Kate Mosse asserted it would be "great for teenagers", while the academic and critic Sarah Churchwell said the "execution [was] appalling" and that it was "beyond silly"; John Mullan likewise criticised the show's absurdities, saying that "Hokum has to have its own logic".Cite episode| title = Newsnight Review| city = iPlayer| accessdate = 2008-07-07| date = 2008-07-04| minutes = 30 mins] The New Statesman described it as "dramatic goo". [ [http://www.newstatesman.com/television/2008/07/lab-rats-bbc2-university The Call of the Weird] , "New Statesman", 10 July 2008 - accessed 10 July 2008.] Some reviews were slightly more positive - Patricia Wynn Davies of "The Telegraph" wrote that while lacking in subtlety, the episode had an "action-packed conclusion", [Cite web| last = Davies| first = Patricia Wynn| title = Tuesday's TV & radio choices| work = The Telegraph| accessdate = 2008-07-08| date = 2008-07-08| url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/arts/2008/07/08/nosplit/bvtv08.xml] , and Lucy Mangan in the "Guardian" criticised the episode as "arrant nonsense" and "a clattering bag of madness" and found its characters too "shouty", but praised Paul Rhys and overall concluded that the episode was "utterly bonkers but curiously satisfying" and that, as for the series, "keeping the faith for a few more weeks might well pay off". [cite news|first=Lucy|last=Mangan|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/09/television|title=Last night's TV|date=9 July 2008|accessdate=2008-07-16|work=The Guardian]

By the end of the series several newspapers were giving it muted praise of the "enjoyable hokum" type.Fact|date=August 2008

Academic reception

In line with the broadly negative reviews, the reception amongst the academic community was mixed, with different complaints around technical accuracy. Mark Horton, the academic advisor to the script, answered criticisms on the BRITARCH e-mail list [JISCMail - BRITARCH Archives - http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=ind0807&L=britarch&T=0&F=&S=&P=13436] .

Viewer complaints

A scene in the first episode which depicted a Muslim's beheading by an extremist Christian drew 100 complaints. The BBC expressed "regret" that some viewers had found the scene "inappropriate", but defended the decision to show it.cite news|url=http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1034512/BBC-Bonekickers-drama-blasted-showing-images-Muslim-beheaded.html|title=BBC Bonekickers drama blasted for showing images of a Muslim being beheaded|date=2008-07-13|work=Mail Online|publisher=Associated Newspapers|accessdate=2008-07-13]

References

External links

*official|http://www.bbc.co.uk/bonekickers/
*imdb title|1148181|Bonekickers
* [http://www.bath.ac.uk/archaeology/ University of Bath Archaeology Department] - Set up for Bonekickers
* [http://www.pasthorizons.tv/tv/view/158/ephemera-archaeology-on-television/ Ephemera: Archaeology on Television] - watch this short film by Sean Caveille about the portrayal of archaeology on TV