ASK most people to name some of Britain's greatest archeological wonders and Stonehenge will likely be the first that springs to mind.
But a Wellesbourne film producer wanted to change all that and has now very visibly demonstrated that the nation has many more wondrous ancient sites to explore.
Michael Bott, of Talbot Court, spent eight years with co-producer Rupert Soskin makin
g Standing With Stones.
It is a two-hour feature film that explores hundreds of historic sites across the British Isles.
He said: "On the face of it, standing stones do not seem to be that exciting, but when you are present with them you have so many questions because you cannot explain them.
"Most people only know of Stonehenge. The fact of the matter is that there are more than 1,000 stone circles in Britain and Ireland - and many other ancient structures.
"When you stand before such structures, your brain says, 'what on earth is that there for?'
"I wanted to get people excited about how many sites of this nature there are in this country."
Mr Bott, 53, spent a year travelling more than 8,000 miles and living in a camper van with explorer and archeologist Mr Soskin to film the many sites the pair visited.
He said: "It was just the two of us from beginning to end and has been hard work - a lot of research was involved. When we were on the road filming it was completely full-on.
"But we had a very good time. I loved the privilege and the experience of visiting so many sites in so short a period of time.
"It was a bit of a Boy's Own adventure, just me and Rupert on the road, not being looked after by wives."
Mr Bott, who grew up in Banbury, has had an interest in standing stones since his pre-teen years.
He said: "I put my fascination down to my parents taking me to visit the Rollright Stones in Chipping Norton when I was about ten."
Although he and Mr Soskin received interest from a number of broadcasting companies to help them produce the film, they took the decision to go it alone.
Mr Bott added: "We wanted to do it the way we wanted to do it."
The father of two trained in theatre and acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre before shifting into production and film-making.
His television documentary credits include The Man Behind the Da Vinci Code and Henry Lincoln's guide to Renne Le Chateau.
Mr Bott and his wife Sharon have lived in Wellesbourne for eight years.
Despite their local knowledge, there is one village landmark that remains a mystery to him.
He hopes readers may be able to throw some light on it.
He said: "There is a very small stone in the middle of the village not far from the bus stop in Chestnut Square.
"I have always wondered what it was there for - it must have some significance."
l Standing With Stones will premiere in at the Rollright Stones tourist centre in Chipping Norton on April 15 at 7.30pm. The DVD is available to purchase from www.standingwithstones.com
