Adventurer digs deep into the forgotten past
NEW four-part drama series based on the compelling story of Howard Carter (played by Max Irons) and his discovery of the tomb of one of Ancient Egypt’s forgotten pharaohs, the boy king Tutankhamun. Sam Neill plays Lord Carnarvon, the dashing eccentric who keeps faith with Carter and continues to back his expeditions when no-one else will.
In 1905 archaeology in Egypt is a rich man’s game, the preserve of aristocrats and tycoons... except for the lone figure of Howard Carter.
Carter is a genius and someone that even expert archaeologists turn to for advice. One of them is Maggie Lewis (Catherine Steadman), a member of the New York Metropolitan Museum’s dig team. Maggie is fond of Carter and tries to get him to join her dig, but Carter is determined to plough his own furrow.
Maggie brings to Carter’s attention a ceramic cup and sets the archaeologist off on a trail of discoveries that points to something incredible.
Carter becomes convinced there is a royal tomb that’s been forgotten by history and waiting to be discovered. He believes the tomb belongs to the boy king Tutankhamun, a little-known pharaoh whose legacy has been lost to the sands of time. Maggie dismisses Carter’s theories out of hand, but he pursues it with single-minded determination.
Only one man has enough faith in Carter’s brilliance to financially back him – Lord Carnarvon. He and Carter form the unlikeliest of partnerships – the dashing maverick aristocrat and the outcast genius with no formal training in archaeology. Together they join forces to unearth the greatest archaeological marvel the world has ever seen...
Carnarvon’s teenage daughter Evelyn (Amy Wren) is swept away by the magic of the Valley of the Kings and believes Carter’s theory of a lost tomb. An offhand comment by Evelyn leads Carter to think Tutankhamun’s tomb might be right under their noses, in the centre of the Valley.
But the outbreak of the First World War means Carter’s dream has to be put on hold – perhaps forever.