A DIVER who found he was not in too deep when he turned his hobby into his full-time job has returned to his familiar local river for his latest venture.

Firefighter turned marine archaeologist Gary Bankhead has been back filming his latest forays into the River Wear in Durham, for a new TV series he hopes to see commissioned next year.

Famed for taking the plunge in his lead role in Sky History’s River Hunters, salvaging long-lost artefacts from the beds of waterways round the country, the father-of-four from Pity Me, Durham, is embarking on a new series.

The Northern Echo: Marine archaeologist Gary Bankhead pictured in the River Wear, near Elvet Bridge, in Durham Picture: GARY BANKHEAD Marine archaeologist Gary Bankhead pictured in the River Wear, near Elvet Bridge, in Durham Picture: GARY BANKHEAD

He has teamed up with fellow presenter, church historian and broadcaster Dr Emma Wells, of York University, on Diving into History, filming a pilot episode on stretches of the River Wear in Durham.

“Together we are investigating sites either on, or spanning, or adjacent to British waterways, starting here in Durham, focusing on the city’s two old fulling mills.

“We are here on location, having been at Bolton Abbey (on the River Wharfe, in North Yorkshire), on Monday.

Read more: Gary Bankhead found cross in River Wear, under Durham bridge

The Northern Echo: Marine archaeologist Gary Bankhead pictured in the River Wear, near Elvet Bridge, in Durham Picture: GARY BANKHEAD Marine archaeologist Gary Bankhead pictured in the River Wear, near Elvet Bridge, in Durham Picture: GARY BANKHEAD

“When you do a series like this it’s full-on, non-stop filming, heavily resource intensive.”

The outcome of his dives will not be revealed until the series hits the small screen, likely to be at some point in spring or summer next year.

He said it is “early days” in the filming for the proposed series, which could take the rest of the year, as talks continue with potential broadcasters.

Mr Bankhead, who has been diving as a hobby since 1990, has made it his full-time job having retired in 2020 after a 31-year firefighting career with the Durham fire and rescue service.

He has also graduated with the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, as a fully-qualified underwater archaeologist.

Now managing director of Dive into History, a public-limited company, he is likely to be surfacing on screen at many more river locations in coming years, as a fully-qualified British Sub-Aqua Club dive leader and an acknowledged leading authority on centuries-old English textile items.

The Northern Echo: Marine archaeologist Gary Bankhead pictured in the River Wear, near Elvet Bridge, in Durham Picture: GARY BANKHEAD Marine archaeologist Gary Bankhead pictured in the River Wear, near Elvet Bridge, in Durham Picture: GARY BANKHEAD

Since he began his dives, mainly around Elvet Bridge, in Durham, Mr Bankhead has developed an “assemblage” of about 13,500 finds of interest, many dating from the Middle Ages, helping to tell the tale of the city’s development, from the medieval era, onwards.

His collection includes many old coins, items of jewellery and novelty artefacts, including small crosses carried by medieval pilgrims to the shrine of St Cuthbert, at Durham Cathedral.

+ Mr Bankhead will be displaying a selection of his finds in a history event, marking the 500th anniversary of Durham Freemen Butcher’s Company, in the Guildhall, of Durham Town Hall, on Saturday (May 14), from 10am to 4pm.

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