Production runner Alex Protherough

Alex Protherough is a production runner for Time Team. This is his first year with the programme and he's quickly gained a reputation for being on the ball. 'I started out by getting some work running for commercials,' he says. 'Then a friend of mine helped me get registered with an agency, and from that the longer-term jobs started coming in. Time Team is one of those jobs that has a filming season from February until October, and then all of the post-production work on top.'

Alex's job involves all the 'fetching and carrying' that's needed to ensure the filming runs smoothly. His day can involve driving celebrities to work in one of the Time Team 4x4s, setting up scaffolding platforms, erecting tents, collecting water for pot washers, delivering sandwiches, off-road driving, keeping an eye on health and safety, and even trying to track down an emergency replacement computer hard drive in the middle of nowhere. All the time he wears a communication headset, which has someone calling for him on it almost all the time.

'The best part of the job has to be the people, crew and archaeologists alike,' says Alex. 'It's always good when we all get together after being away for a few weeks between shoots. The best location for me was Green Island in Dorset. It was really nice to get a boat to work in the morning and it was a good-looking location.'

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