Raven: Phil Daniels and archaeology encounter nuclear waste

Nuclear site dig will change prehistory, says archaeologist

says the headline on a BBC News article about Sizewell C.

A nuclear power station being built on an ancient site? That sounds like the plot of an ITV children's serial from the Seventies.

And I was pretty much right, because the largely forgotten series Raven from 1977 dealt with plans to store nuclear waste use an ancient cave system. I'm not sure I remember watching it, but I did have the book.

So here's the first episode. Note the strong cast: Phil Daniels, Michael Aldridge and Patsy Rowlands.

Before I found this, I was going to use a short video about the series. It's fine, except when it claims that, by dealing with environmental issues in 1977, Raven was "way ahead of its time".

People write with such certainty about decades they don't remember. But often their version of the past is as wide of the mark as that you find in the AI nostalgia accounts they love to correct.

St George finishes behind Robin Hood and King Arthur – and I'm not surprised

Fortean Times reports the findings of the 2026 National Folklore Survey for England and it's bad news for St George as he only gets the bronze medal:

The figure gaining highest recognition was not King Arthur or St George, as many might have expected, but Robin Hood, who almost 90 per cent of the people in the poll sample had heard of. Arthur came second, recognised by 84 per cent, while St George trailed in third place, with around two thirds of respondents recognising him.

It's no surprise that Robin Hood is in our minds when British society is becoming so unequal, but I wouldn't have expected St George to come any better than third in that company. As I blogged back 2008:

The idea of celebrating our national saint's day is a new one for most of us English. I can remember the St George's Day parade being a big deal when I was in the Cubs, but beyond that I have never taken much notice of it.

My impression that the idea of celebrating 23 April is a new one was strengthened when the Leicester Mercury published this on that day in 2014:

So. This was the plan. We'd dig out a spiffy old photo of St George's Day in Leicester, bash out a few bruised lines wondering why it isn't a bank holiday in England, then slink off early to the pub. Job's a good 'un. Well, a passable one, at least. 

But here's the thing. We couldn't find many old pics of St George's Day. And none that we muster much enthusiasm for showing you.

There have been more St George's Day events in recent years. As this is in line with the splendid Leicester approach to multiculturalism, which celebrates every festival going rather than ignoring them for fear of offending someone, I am pleased. And, lurking in the background somewhere, there's also the fear that if people of good will don't celebrate it then the far right will.

But when I've been to these events, there's generally been a shortage of ideas about what to do beyond having lots of morris dancers along. Because, mercifully, the English have never taken up the idea of stabbing iguanas with a toasting fork.

The new bridge at Tintagel Castle

Maybe Uther Pendragon never lived at Tintagel Castle, but recent archaeological investigations suggest that it did flourish as a high-status settlement just after the Romans left Britain.

And the Arthurian connection is one of the things that brings visitors to this spectacular site on the North Cornwall coast.

It used to be a difficult one for visitors to access or interpret. Sometime in the 14th or 15th century a natural land bridge collapsed here, taking part of the castle with it. What was left looked like two fortresses facing one another across a chasm.

In 2019 an elegant and spectacular bridge was thrown across that chasm. You can learn all about it in the video above.

I remember Tintagel as a welcome resting point on what is a brutal coast for long-distance walkers. I also recall slogging uphill to the modern village, only to find it dominated by establishments like the Morgan Le Fay Gift Shoppe and the Sir Galahad Fudge Bar.