TELEVISION archaeologists were celebrating a big success yesterday after uncovering evidence of a lost Viking village.

Experts from Channel Four's Time Team programme have spent the past few days digging up the sprawling lawns of Castle Howard, near Malton, North Yorkshire.

The team, which includes Blackadder star Tony Robinson, had gone in search of the lost medieval village of Henderskelfe.

And their work unearthed several exciting finds to shed new light on the village, which is known to have stood in the area around 1066.

Evidence of the abandonment of the village and details of how the former agricultural community became involved in the building of Castle Howard will feature prominently in the Time Team programme, due to be screened in spring next year.

Castle Howard's head of visitor services, Richard Kemp, said: "It was an amazing start to our programme of excavation and research on the village of Henderskelfe.

"We are intending to continue the excavations throughout the summer and beyond, put the Time Team finds on display, as well as providing any local budding archaeologists with an opportunity to learn how to dig."

Part of an old house and church, as well as numerous pieces of pottery, were discovered by the team.