NEW hopes of opening Dorchester's historic Roman baths were boosted today with calls for the Time Team television show to visit the site.

Campaigner Derek Julian claimed producers of the popular show were interested in shooting a programme about the buried ruins with excavations and a computerised reconstruction.

Now he has urged Dorchester groups and councils to draw up an official invitation to Time Team to help decide whether the remains are worth developing as a tourist attraction.

Retired prison governor Mr Julian, 68, said: "It's a great way to get the project moving.

"Time Team could carry out excavations in certain areas and certainly give a good graphic reconstruction of how the baths would have looked.

"It could help give an objective decision as whether to go ahead or not."

He added: "I spoke to Richard Cane from their production team and he was enthusiastic. I went to the Dorset County Museum and they were very keen about it."

Supporters claim limited excavations of the baths below the Wollaston Field car park in the 1970s showed the potential for a major tourist attraction.

Mr Julian used to live in Dorchester in the Grove and at Tollgate Cottage on the road to Charminster, but also worked at the prison and as a salesman in town.

He contacted the town and district councils about Time Team but was 'disappointed' by their levels of interest.

Town crier and tourism guide Alistair Chisholm said: "I think it is an excellent idea that would raise the profile of the town and Roman heritage. Only a small part of the whole baths complex was excavated. There could be treasures yet to be discovered."

He added: "If Time Team came down they could not fail to mention all the other areas of the town."

A spokesman for Videotext, the production company that makes Time Team, said they would need a brief with details of the site, the chances of finding remains and the area's history.

She added that an interesting angle or aspect to 'sell' the site would help in their decision and that an application could come from any organisation although it would carry more weight from an archaeological group.