Foxtel highlights: Sunday, September 1
THE MAN WHO SHOT TUTANKHAMUN History 608, 4.30pm
In this one-hour special, TV personality Margaret Mountford (pictured) travels to Egypt’s Valley of the Kings to discover the story of an unsung hero of British photography – Harry Burton, the man whose images of the Tutankhamun excavation created a global sensation in the 1920s. As she explores the spectacular locations where Burton worked, including Tutankhamun’s tomb, she investigates how his photographs inspired a craze for Egyptian designs made archaeologist Howard Carter an international celebrity. Mountford will also work with present-day photographer, Harry Cory Wright, to find out exactly how Burton pushed the boundaries of photographic art to create his extraordinary and influential pictures.
PRESIDENTS AT WAR History 608, 8.30pm
This landmark two-part series tells the story of World War II through the experiences of eight remarkable men who all served the US in its darkest hour and went on to become CommanderIn-Chief. This is the story of how war changed the likes of Dwight D Eisenhower (pictured), John F Kennedy, Lyndon B Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and how it would ultimately affect their presidencies in the White House. Tonight’s episode focuses on the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, which plunged an unprepared United States into WWII.
THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON History 608, 7.30pm
The great Fire of London was the most devastating fire Britain has ever experienced. It destroyed almost the entire city and has become a national memory burnt into the nation’s consciousness. But now even more 350 years on, what do we actually know about what happened? This three-part series attempts to paint a vivid picture of how one of the world’s greatest cities went up in the almightiest of infernos in 1666. Tonight’s premiere episode focuses on where the great fire began and why it was able to spread so easily. Future episodes will focus on the death and destruction and how the city managed to rebuild itself.
BLOWING UP HISTORY Discovery Channel 612, 7.30pm
This long-running series uses CGI animation to reveal the many secrets behind some of the world’s most iconic buildings, monuments and legends. If that whets your whistle, season four will take an in-depth look at China’s Forbidden City and Egypt’s Abu Simbel, the largest rock-cut temple in the world, while others will delve into the fall of the Roman Empire, the lost city of the Maya, and the hunt for the lost city of Atlantis. Have they finally pinpointed where it is after all these years? Or even if it existed at all? Tune in to find out.