PODCAST · society
Career in Ruins
by careerinruins
Archaeology? That’s like dinosaurs and stuff isn’t it? Nope. Learn about what archaeology is really all about and how people work within it.
Episodes
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Stonehenge Explained with Dr Susan Greaney
The conversation delves into the surprises and challenges of writing a book on Stonehenge, the evolving nature of Stonehenge research, the significance of Neolithic monument complexes, the origins of Stonehenge's stones, a glimpse into the past at 2500 BC, and the unanswered questions surrounding...
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Why Archaeology Needs Nature | Festival of Archaeology 2026
Welcome to the launch of the 2026 Festival of Archaeology at Westonbirt National Arboretum. This year's theme is Archaeology & Nature, and throughout the day we explore why these two subjects can't be separated. From ancient woodlands and prehistoric landscapes to Stonehenge, conservation and...
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A Career Q&A
The conversation begins with a reconnection and catching up between Derek and Lawrence, followed by a discussion on recent projects and exciting content. The conversation then transitions into a reflection on archaeological musings and craft fairs, exploring the themes of reuse, craft, and…
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S8 Ep10: A day in a roundhouse
Join Derek as he takes Career in Ruins to Hengistbury Head, Dorset to meet curator and archaeologist Dr Hayden Scott-Pratt. In this on-location interview inside a reconstructed Iron Age roundhouse, Hayden shares his journey from undergraduate experiments in copper smelting to curating one of...
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S8 Ep9: A Career in South Asia
In this episode of Career in Ruins, hosts Lawrence and Derek reflect on the new year, share personal updates, and pay tribute to their late friend Kerry Ely. They discuss exciting developments in archaeology, introduce Afifa Khan, who shares her journey from a young enthusiast to a professional...
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S8 Ep8: A Career in Stone
In this episode, the hosts reflect on their recent experiences at an awards ceremony, share insights from their visit to the Titanic exhibition, and discuss their ongoing projects. They welcome Professor David Nash, who shares his journey from geology to archaeology, focusing on his research on...
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S8 Ep7: A Career in a Bit of Everything
In this episode of Career in Ruins, hosts Lawrence and Derek engage in a lively discussion with Rob Sutton, Director of Heritage Consultancy at Cotswold Archaeology. The conversation covers a range of topics including the intersection of archaeology and video games, the importance of storytelling...
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S8 Ep6: A Giant Day Out
Following the brilliant Time Team episode on the project, Career in Ruins visit Cerne Abbas, Dorset, to catch up with archaeologist Hugh Willmott and his team. Beneath the watchful gaze of the famous Cerne Abbas Giant, Lawrence Shaw and Derek Pitman delve into the story behind the abbey’s...
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S8 Ep5: A Career in Careers
In this episode, Derek and Lawrence engage in a lively discussion with David Connolly, exploring his extensive career in archaeology, the significance of community engagement, and the evolution of BAJR. They delve into themes of heritage crime, the importance of skills in archaeology, and the…
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Halloween Special: Career in Ruins 2025
In this Halloween-themed episode, Derek and Lawrence explore the origins and traditions of Halloween, discussing its historical significance, cultural practices, and spooky stories. They delve into the connections between Halloween and archaeology, including Edgar Allan Poe's influence and the...
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S8 Ep4: A Career in Creativity
In this episode of Career in Ruins, hosts Derek Pitman and Lawrence Shaw discuss their recent award nomination and the importance of community in archaeology. They welcome Dr. Rose Ferraby, an artist and archaeologist, who shares her journey from studying archaeology at Cambridge to working in...
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S8 Ep3: A Career Down Under
In this episode of Career in Ruins, hosts Lawrence and Derek engage in a lively discussion with Dr. Samuel Dix, an expert in conflict and first contact archaeology. They explore Sam's early fascination with archaeology, his diverse career experiences, and the evolution of Aboriginal archaeology…
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S8 Ep2: A Career in Youth Engagement
Summary In this episode of Career in Ruins, hosts Lawrence and Derek discuss their recent travels across Europe, reflecting on the unique aspects of the British landscape compared to the vast open spaces of Central Europe. They also share insights from their work, including the excitement of...
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S8 Ep1 A career in classical antiquity
In this episode of Career in Ruins, Derek and Lawrence finally sit down—successfully!—with Dr. Robin Rönnlund, classical archaeologist at the University of Gothenburg and the Swedish Institute at Athens. After two failed recording attempts (one lost to rooftop wine, the other to a rustling coat),...
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A Career Catch Up
In this episode of Career in Ruins, Derek and Lawrence finally catch up after a busy few months. Derek joins us from sunny Greece while Lawrence checks in from a much rainier Britain. We chat about the latest Time Team episodes, Derek’s ongoing work in Greece, and some of the adventures we’ve...
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Bonus Episode: Digging Deep on Divis — Neolithic Secrets & Public Archaeology with Malachy Conway
In this bonus episode from the slopes of Divis Mountain, we join Malachy Conway, Northern Ireland Regional Archaeologist for the National Trust, as he shares behind-the-scenes insights from a live community excavation during the Festival of Archaeology. Malachy takes us on a journey through 6,000...
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Festival of Archaeology Special - 2025
Festival of Archaeology 2025 We’re coming to you from the launch of the Council for British Archaeology’s 2025 Festival of Archaeology, high up on Divis Mountain, Belfast, hosted by the National Trust. In this special episode, we meet fascinating people from across the heritage world, discover…
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S7 Ep4: A Career in Remains
In this special year-end episode of Careers in Ruins, we are thrilled to welcome Jacqueline McKinley, a trailblazer in osteoarchaeology. Jacqueline takes us on a journey through her remarkable career, from being inspired by Magnus Magnusson’s iconic documentary on Skara Brae to becoming one of…
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S7 Ep3: A career in bogs
In this episode of Career in Ruins, Lawrence and Derek kick things off with some lighthearted chatter about the buzz surrounding Gladiator 2—what might Ridley Scott have in store for fans of ancient drama and epic storytelling? Then, we’re joined by the incredible Professor Henry Chapman, a...
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S7 Ep2: A career in death and burial
In this episode, hosts Lawrence Shaw and Derek Pitman sit down with Professor Mike Parker Pearson to delve into a career that has shaped the field of archaeology on multiple fronts. The conversation begins with reflections on the late Lord Colin Renfrew, a transformative figure in archaeology and...
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S7 Ep1: A Career at the trowels edge
In the first episode of the new season, Derek and Lawrence sit down with Chris Leonard, Senior Project Officer at Cotswold Archaeology. Chris shares his fascinating career journey, starting with a degree in South American Studies and navigating the highs and lows of short-term contracts in...
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Tales from the Scottish Crannog Centre
In this special episode, we bring you exclusive coverage from the launch event of the Festival of Archaeology, hosted at the scenic Scottish Crannog Centre on the banks of Loch Tay. Join us as we dive into engaging conversations with event organizers from the Council for British Archaeology,...
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S6 Ep7: A career behind the camera
Our first episode of 2024 is a fascinating chat with Karen Kirk. Karen has had a brilliant career which has spanned commercial archaeology, BBC drama productions and more recently, the production of archaeological TV programs. With shows and documentaries ranging from Digging for Britain, Time...
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S6 Ep6: A career in historical archaeology
The episode of Career Ruins features a conversation with Colm Donnelly, a Senior Research Fellow at Queen's University in Belfast. Derek and Lawrence reflect on the highlights of the year and discuss Colm's career journey in historical archaeology and community archaeology. Colm shares insights...
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S6 Ep5: A career in walking
The podcast features an interview with Dr. Jim Leary, an archaeologist and author at the University of York. The trio discuss Jim's new book 'Footmarks' and, his experiences in commercial and curatorial archaeology, and his recent career move to part-time teaching. He also shares insights into…
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S6 Ep4 A Contrary Career
In this episode Derek and Lawrence chat to Helen Geake, an archaeologist and member of the television show Time Team. She discusses her career in archaeology, starting from when she was unsure about what she wanted to do and eventually discovering her passion for the subject. She talks about her...
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S6 Ep3: An inspirational career
Career in ruins are back in the saddle with their traditional interview format at the start of a very exciting new season. To kick us off we chat to the inspirational Gus Casely-Hayford, Director of the V&A East, and all round incredible person. We gain an insight into the motivation and...
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S6 Ep2: Our Careers in Ruins
To kick off the start of our new season we are sharing a special podcast about OUR careers in ruins. This first episode is a recording from a lecture we were asked to give to the Anthropology Society at Stony Brook University, New York, about science communication. We hope you enjoy it and a huge...
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S6 Ep1: Festival of Archaeology 2023/Portable Antiquities Scheme special
In this first episode of the long awaited season 6 of Career in Ruins Lawrence and Derek join in with the CBA's Festival of Archaeology by celebrating "20 years" (ish) of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). Archaeology's Ant and Dec of the south coast are joined by three incredible guests;...
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A career in Tāoga Niue
In this special episode, reporting from Niue in the South Pacific, Lawrence meets Moira Enetama who is the director of the Tāoga Niue (museum). The duo discuss the impact of the Cyclone Heta in 2004 and Moira’s role in promoting and protecting the cultural heritage of Niue.
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S5 Ep05: A career during crisis
This week we take a moment to pause and reflect on some of the problems facing members of our community. We are joined by Kate Geary (CiFA), Lu Stanton-Greenwood (StepChange/ BAJR) and David Connolly (BAJR) and discussions are centred on the recently released ‘Poverty Impact Report’. Some useful...
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Thank you for 30,000 downloads!
A short message from Derek and Lawrence thanking you for listening
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S5 Ep4: Continued conversations at Corfe Castle
Join Lawrence and Derek for an additional podcast as they go for a ramble chat with attendees of the Festival of Archaeology event in Corfe Castle, hosted by the National Trust. This “explosive” conversation covers ancient technology, forestry, maritime archaeology, computer games and much more.
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S5 Ep3: Conversations at Corfe Castle
Welcome to this special episode which is brought to you by the Council for British Archaeology. This episode was recorded live at the Festival of Archaeology closing event at Corfe Castle, as hosted by the National Trust on 31st of July 2022. Derek and Lawrence are joined by a brilliant panel of...
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S5 Ep2: Forests and the front line
In this special episode, join Lawrence as he attends a Festival of Archaeology event being delivered by Forestry England at Sherwood Pines. Learn a bit about what Forestry England do, how they manage their historic environment and what they have been doing to promote it during the festival....
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S5, Ep1: Career in Ruins in the Field
We are back! And what better way to come back then to take a day out to visit the Durotriges Big Dig. Ran over 9 seasons, this research project focuses on Iron Age Dorset, examining the transition between the Iron Age and Roman Britain, and how this is represented in the archaeological record.…
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S4 Ep09: A career in New Zealand
In this bonus episode Derek and Lawrence talk all things New Zealand archaeology. The duo are joined by New Zealand archaeologists Josie Hagan and Dr Andy Brown. The episode features a triumphant return of Monutrumps as well as a discussion of the range of sites in New Zealand and what you can...
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S4 Ep8: A career in bioanthropology
In this, the season 4 finale, Derek and Lawrence chat about sculptures in the Forest of Dean and the discovery of Shackleton’s ship. The final guest of the season is the incredible Dr Arwa Kharobi, a bioanthropologist who talks through her diverse and fascinating career in ruins and “tells” us...
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S4 Ep8: An episode in ruins
In this week’s episode Derek and Lawrence talk to………. each other. The duo discuss orienteering, the human history of the landscape, and Time Team. They also talk about some of the results from their YouTube mini-series ‘Career in Ruins: In the field’.
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S4 Ep7: A career excavating with water
This week we catch up with floatation queen and environmental archaeology professional Naomi Sewpaul. Naomie talks us through her career in ruins to date that has led to her into becoming a leading expert across the archaeological disciplines of academia, research and commercial investigations....
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S4 Ep6: A career in curation
This week Lawrence and Derek talk about their adventures in the countryside and Lawrence’s long history of heritage crime. Their guest this week is curatorial legend and Twitter master Rob Symmons. Rob is the curator of Fishbourne Roman palace: the largest Roman building north of the alps! The…
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S4 Ep5: A career in lumps and bumps
In this week’s episode Lawrence and Derek discuss the value of mentorship as well as the archaeological potential of shooting forests with drone-based lasers. Their guest this week is Time Team landscape superstar Professor Stewart Ainsworth. Stewart shares stories from his amazing and diverse...
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S4 Ep4: A career in graphics
In this week’s episode Lawrence and Derek get a graphic insight into an often overlooked aspect of heritage communication. The duo are joined by Neil Max Emmanuel, a Creative Motion Graphic Designer, Animator, Editor, Storyboard Artist, Cartoonist/Comic Artist, Children's Book Illustrator, and…
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S4 Ep3: A career in geophysics
In this episode Derek and Lawrence chat to John Gater. John is an geophysicist who's had a long pioneering career in archaeology. He is best known says work on Time Team but was instrumental in the early commercial adoption of geophysics in archaeology having worked for companies such as British...
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S4 Ep2: A career in comedy
This week we catch up with brilliant Natalie Haynes. We find out how comedy has shaped her career in classics and how the classics have shaped her career in comedy. Full of laughs and insight, we learn what it takes to a have a successful Radio 4 comedy series, write columns in leading papers and...
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Career in Ruins Theme Tune
After popular demand we have added out new theme tune to our library as a surprise special gift for Spotify users. Add to your favorite playlist and listen whenever you like! Theme tune by Charles Harrison based on the tune created by Guy Dowsett.
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S4 Ep1: A career with Vikings
Welcome back to the first episode of this new season of Career in Ruins. It’s been six months since we last did a pod and my word have we been busy. This week our hosts, Derek and Lawrence, catch up on what they have been up to, address some of the amazing archaeology that has been on the telly…
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Career in Ruins: Walking and talking, your way
In this Festival of British Archaeology special Career in Ruins gets a significant upgrade as Lawrence is joined by Neil Redfern (CEO, Council for British Archaeology) with a special guest appearance by Matt Williams (Time Team legend and RSPB reserves archaeologist) in Derek’s absence. The…
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Dig4arch Special
In this Dig4arch special Derek and Lawrence talk to people behind the new campaign that aims to send a clear message that archaeology matters, Dr Chloë Duckworth (Newcastle University) and David Connolly (BAJR). They discuss the current risks to archaeology and explore some of the ways to…
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S3 Ep 6: A career in the skies
This episode we are joined by Dr Toby Driver, Senior Investigator (Aerial Survey) at the Royal Commission Wales. Toby discusses his career in archaeology, how he got into aerial research and how the process works. We also discuss a number of things that have caught our attention, including the...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Career in Ruins have?
Career in Ruins currently has 81 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Career in Ruins about?
Archaeology? That’s like dinosaurs and stuff isn’t it? Nope. Learn about what archaeology is really all about and how people work within it.
How often does Career in Ruins release new episodes?
Career in Ruins has 81 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Career in Ruins?
You can listen to Career in Ruins on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Career in Ruins?
Career in Ruins is created and hosted by careerinruins.
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