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A COUNTRYFILE artefacts expert was forced to apologise before displaying his findings, which had a “naughty” message carved on the front.
BBC host Anita Rani was taken aback by the discovery but found it truly amusing.
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During the latest episode of Countryfile on Sunday night (March 24), presenter Anita visited Hinton Ampner in Winchester and uncovered the secrets of the Georgian country estate.
On her tour, she explored its fascinating past and unravelled the stories of the people who once lived there.
The 46-year-old spoke to the director of excavations, Dr Andrew Birley, to discover new findings about the Roman fort, Vindolanda.
Eight months prior, Countryfile star Charlotte Smith visited the spot, and during the latest episode, Anita wanted an update on what has unfolded treasure trove since then.
Andrew told the BBC host that since Countryfile last filmed at the site, his team have had an “amazing Couple of years” found thousands of artefacts.
The host later asked Andrew if he could show some of the items they had uncovered.
Addressing Andrew, Anita said: “So what are some of your favourites? You’re highlights, please, Andrew.”
Andrew explained that the team are often “blown away” by written material and evidence of writing before pulling out a stylus pen, which was used on wooden wax tablets.
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The excavations expert then displayed a massive stone, which he admitted was too heavy to bring into his office.
Before he shared a photo of the item with the host and viewers at home, Andrew took it upon himself and apologised for a rude symbol carved across the front.
Speaking to the audience at home, the expert said: “I’ve got a picture of it, and it’s a bit of a naughty message, so I apologise to viewers for it.”
“It’s alright. Countryfile viewers love a naughty message,” replied Anita as Andrew held up a photo of the stone with a phallic symbol.
He explained: “The phallic symbol is for fertility and for good luck and everything else that goes with it.” The presenter laughed: “Brilliant! That’s proper graffiti. I love it.”
Andrew also showcased a torn-up shoe that looked like it belonged to an 18 —to 24-month-old child.
He disclosed that the shoe’s discovery is special because it represents the different demographic of people who lived in those spaces, including children, women, and slaves.
The special archaeological Countryfile episode received backlash after fans compared it to an instalment of Digging for Britain.
Viewers blasted the Beeb for ‘scraping the barrel’ as they expected the show to be more about farming than archaeology.
Countryfile returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer next Sunday at 7pm.
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