From BBC News.

Man dies after Time Team accident

Time Team follows Tony Robinson (centre) on archaeological digs
A man has died after a splinter of wood entered his eye during a mock joust for Channel 4 TV series Time Team.
The fight re-enactor was taking part in an episode being filmed at Rockingham Castle, Northamptonshire, last month.

This was commented upon a while back in a similar thread.
Channel 4 are a little touchy on the subject, so this thread will either be deleted or locked.

No reason for it to be deleted Tet, accidents happen...

Its disgusting that theres no mention of the accident on the front page of the timeteam website. No statement, no sympathy, nothing.

On London(Reuters) Tony Robinson was quoted saying
'The planned episode is to be screened although the jousting footage will not be shown.'

Once again, no sympathetic message to the family. Good to see you know what matters.

quote:

with a dedication to the man at the end of the programme

So which part of the above did you not read Flump? Hardly seems unsympathetic?

This is sad news. Like many people, I only heard about it yesterday, and my thoughts go out to the family and friends of Paul.

No need for Channel 4 to be touchy about it either. It was an accident.

It's not nearly as bad as BBC TV being responsible for killing an audience participant during a stunt for the Noel Edmonds House Party a few years ago... At least this re-enactor knew what he was getting into.

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce:
No need for Channel 4 to be touchy about it either. It was an accident.

With litigation what it is nowadays, there would seem to be no such thing as an accident.

I don't know if an inquest has taken place yet, but there is always a chance that some sort of legal action will follow. Seems to be par for the course these days

I’m the C4 Commissioning Editor for Time Team and just wanted to add my comment. While wanting to respect the family’s privacy immediately after the sad events at Rockingham Castle we released this statement .

“We have been shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic accident.”
We take issues of health and safety extremely seriously for all our programmes. The professional company of historical enactors has an excellent safety record and took all the appropriate and necessary precautions and it does sadly appear this was a tragic, freak, accident.”

On a more personal note I attended Paul’s funeral along with the director and editor of the Time Team film. It was an extremely moving event as well as being visually spectacular (the reenactors came out in full force and in full dress as you can see on You Tube). What came across most strongly however was what an extraordinary man Paul Allen was.

That is a touching and fitting tribute to Paul, Tabitha. Thank you for letting us know about it. I have nothing but admiration for the commitment of the re-enactors, whose contribution keeps alive the rich heritage of the UK, so that the rest of us can maintain a tangible connection with our distant past. A tragic event, with sadness that extends well beyond your shores.

Thank you Tabitha. I've watched the funeral on YouTube, and it was without doubt, the best way to celebrate an extraordinary lifestyle.

R.I.P Paul...

I can't add anything to the above comments.
Thanks for the update.

Seemed like a decent bloke with a lot of good friends,a nice send off.