SHORT DOCUMENTARY
The Close (2025)
Produced by Rural Studios
The Close follows the work of non-profit Romani Community Archaeology, led by archaeologists John-Henry Phillips and Stuart Eve, as they reveal the secrets of what life was like for the nearly four hundred Romany inhabitants of the Thorney Hill Compound – one of seven New Forest Compounds - who were forced to abandon their nomadic way of life.
Release date: Aug 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Runtime: 32 min
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Presented by John-Henry Phillips
Executive Producer Grant Black
Directed by Dan Haworth-Salter
Produced by Julie Colman
Camera A Luke J Collins
Camera B Alessandro Repetti
Sound Jake McKenzie-Hayes
DIT Callum Neville
Lead Archaeologist
John-Henry Phillips + Dr Stuart Eve
Volunteers
Destiny Cash
Louise Cash
Holly Newman
Katie Whitcher
Kye Preston
Rebecca Johnson
Tony Johnson
Sound Design Rich Hankins
Special Thanks
The Thorney Hill Community
Forestry England
New Forest National Park Authority
New Forest Heritage Centre
Past Horizons
Southampton University
John-Henry Phillips
author, archaeologist, television presenter
John-Henry Phillips is a British author, archaeologist, and television presenter, best known for co-hosting Channel 4's The Great British Dig. A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, he holds degrees in Archaeology and Human Rights. He founded Romani Community Archaeology to excavate historic sites and raise awareness of Romani human rights issues. His debut book, The Search, details his mission to find a lost D-Day shipwreck.
Stuart Eve
Archaeologist
Dr. Stuart Eve FSA is an innovative leader in commercial archaeology and the current Chief Executive of Wessex Archaeology. With a PhD from UCL specializing in using Augmented Reality to merge digital data with archaeological deposits, he champions the use of technology in heritage. He co-founded L-P: Archaeology and is Co-Director of Waterloo Uncovered, a project combining archaeology with veteran recovery.
