Archaeologist Ben Robinson visits Runswick Bay on the North Yorkshire coast, where he discovers how this pretty village was once a place of danger. Ben explores the mythical ‘hob-holes' to uncover how they once helped supply a thriving jet industry and finds evidence of how, in the late 1800s, the village became the inspiration for a group of artists who became known as the British Impressionists.

On a visit to the Kent coast, Ben Robinson learns how an exclusive retreat for the rich and famous suddenly became 'Hellfire Corner' during World War II. Ben examines graffiti in an exclusive visit to a secret air raid shelter and tours the site of Britain's biggest guns. On the beach, the archaeologist runs his eye over the secret hideaway lived in by Noel Coward and his partner after the war.