Bonekickers

This goofy BBC action-adventure series melding science and history strains credibility to the breaking point but is still an enjoyable, if ultimately mindless, diversion. The continuing characters are four archaeologists based in Bath who are called upon to investigate mysterious finds with enormous historical consequences (and usually connections to dangerous conspiracies). One, for example, is a dig that could lead to the cross on which Christ was crucified—a relic that a fanatical religious cult desires as a means to secure political power. Another has to do with the discovery of what might be Arthur's Round Table and a secretive order that's determined to find Excalibur. A third deals with a buried World War I tank and a long-ago massacre connected with the bones of Joan of Arc. Despite its relatively recent 2008 vintage, the show is already a bit out of date—one of the seven hour-long episodes is about the discovery of what appear to be the bones of 18th-century slaves whose remains are related to a plot to sabotage the campaign of a U.S. senator trying to become the first African-American president. But with good production values and a solid cast led by Julie Graham as feisty team leader Gillian Magwilde and Hugh Bonneville as Gregory Parton, the inevitable crusty old man of the crew, this is a nifty combination of Indiana Jones and Dan Brown. DVD extras include behind-the-scenes segments related to scripts, filming, visual effects, music, and sound effects. Recommended. (F. Swietek)