Ben Robinson
Dr Ben Robinson is a British archaeologist, television presenter and author, known as 'The Flying Archaeologist'. Ben grew up in a Cambridgeshire fenland village and spent his youth exploring the distinctive regional landscape and beloved Norfolk coast. A youthful Ben persuaded the Royal Air Force to teach him to fly. As a pilot of microlight aircraft he has enjoyed an aerial perspective on landscape history and archaeology over many years.
Ben gained a MA and then a PhD from the University of York. He began his career as a digging archaeologist in what was once called ‘rescue archaeology’, retrieving evidence of past lives and long lost places from the jaws of bulldozers. He also worked in museums and adult education.
After more than a decade as heritage adviser to a planning authority he joined English Heritage as an ‘Inspector of Ancient Monuments’. Ben now leads a Historic England team that investigates and saves threatened heritage in the Midlands.
All Ben's work has been characterised by striving to understand more about the heritage of places so that we can better appreciate their special qualities, look after them and help shape their futures.
Ben's archaeological and historical expertise led him to roles in television programmes, including several series of the cult archaeological TV show Time Team, as well as presenting regional BBC TV features on heritage subjects from Roman treasure to Victorian rubbish. He has gone on to present programmes on national TV. For BBC Four he has traced King John's final ill-fated final journey, tracked the path of Zeppelin raids, explored village history in the series Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village and taken to the skies in the The Flying Archaeologist series. He joined Bettany Hughes for the ITV series Secrets from the Sky and was Alice Roberts' 'eye in the sky' for three series of Channel 4's Britain's Most Historic Towns. He now fronts Villages by the Sea for BBC Two, which has explored Britain's fascinating coastal heritage over five series and 37 episodes.
Ben’s first book ENGLAND’S VILLAGES: An Extraordinary Journey Through Time was published by Blink in 2021:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/englands-villages/dr-ben-robinson/9781788706476
Ben's new book COASTLINE: An Exploration of Britain's Coastal Heritage was published by Blink in 2026:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/coastline/dr-ben-robinson/9781785125010
Ben lives in Cambridgeshire with his family.