In this brand new series, ITV1 joins forces with the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme to unveil the 50 greatest treasures discovered by the British public, extraordinary items and historical artefacts discovered by ordinary people that have shed light and in some cases dramatically changed our understanding of British history.

Transmitting on ITV1 across six nights, Britain’s Secret Treasures is presented by award-winning journalist Michael Buerk in his broadcasting debut for ITV, alongside historian and author Bettany Hughes, winner of this year’s distinguished Medlicott Medal for History.

The series will map out the 50 key artefacts found by members of the public and recorded by the British Museum’s scheme in the past 15 years. Facing the daunting task of selecting which discoveries were included and determining their ranking on the list, was a panel of experts from the British Museum and The Council for British Archaeology. They have sifted through almost one million items to judge each one on its national importance, beauty and cultural and historic significance. From a human tool found in Norfolk dating back 700,000 years, to the Silverdale Hoard of Viking Treasure, these items hold incredible stories, many of which revolutionise our understanding of the past.

A host of guest presenters including John McCarthy, Michael Portillo, Myleene Klass, John Sergeant, Jon Culshaw, Brian Blessed, Gethin Jones and William Roache meet many of the members of the public who discovered the items, whilst ITV online will support the series during transmission with an appeal for people to send in photographs of new objects they may have found. These will be assessed by the British Museum throughout the week with a selection of new finds being revealed in the final episode.