Tutankhamun
Season 1 Thursdays (from 10 Nov) ITV Choice (*123) 20:00 Drama In mid-2015 while an exhibition of the real-life treasures of King Tutankhamun was on display at Grand West Casino in Cape Town, work was underway on the four-part TV mini-series Tutankhamun (2016). It was filmed in the dune deserts of the Northern Cape and Namibia that stood in for Egypt’s Valley Of The Kings and the set included a life-size, precisely detailed replica of King Tut’s tomb. The series stars Max Irons as Egyptologist Howard Carter, Sam Neill as his sponsor Lord Carnarvon and Amy Wren as Lord Carnarvon’s daughter Lady Evelyn. Here’s what you need to know…
The story begins in 1905 with Brit 1
archaeologist Howard leading an expedition to Egypt’s Valley Of Kings for Maggie Lewis (Catherine Steadman) of New York’s Metropolitan Museum.
When Cairo’s Antiquities Service 2
revokes Carter’s license to dig after an “incident”, he survives by selling relics for food.
But his passion for Egypt impresses 3
amateur Egyptologist Lord Carnarvon during a chance meeting and Carter signs on as his guide. Lady Evelyn, then a teen, joins for an adventure in Egypt.
Their quest to find the boy king 4
Tutankhamun’s tomb is halted by World War I and money issues as the search nearly bankrupts Carnarvon.
But in 1921, a return to Egypt 5
yields a breath-taking discovery and romance blossoms between the now-grown-up Evelyn and Carter.
“Carnarvon bet his fortune on 6
Carter’s hunch and it paid off… or rather it nearly did…” teases series writer Guy Burt. “Exploring for buried treasure is an extraordinary thing!” PS: South African costume designer Diana Cilliers also worked on sci-fi films District 9 (2009) and Dredd (2012).