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Blink Films for DISCOVERY CHANNEL

DISCOVERY FOLLOWS THE BIGGEST EXCAVATION EVER ATTEMPTED IN EGYPT’S MYSTERIOUS VALLEY OF THE KINGS

Valley of the Kings was a great burial ground for the Pharaohs. Egypt’s most powerful Pharaohs were all buried at this site in beautifully-crafted, treasure-filled tombs including Tutankhamun or ‘King Tut,’ Ramses II and Hatshepsut. But what lies beyond the ridge in the rugged Western Valley? VALLEY OF THE KINGS: THE LOST TOMBS, a 2-hour special on discovery+.

Most visitors to Egypt will visit the famous Valley of the Kings, a site that has produced more than 60 tombs, including the untouched, treasure filled tomb of the Boy King, Tutankhamun.. But the Valley of the Kings is actually two separate branches, East and West. Despite more than 200 years of excavation in this area, the Western Valley of the Kings has remained mostly forgotten…until now.

In the biggest Egyptian excavation ever attempted, a team of archaeologists, led by world-renowned Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, are going into the Western Valley of the Kings to uncover a new chapter in Ancient Egypt's most fascinating story.

Dr. Hawass and his team believe this massive ravine hides a treasure trove of lost evidence of the royal family of Tutankhamun. But its inhospitable terrain and vast size mean it has lain barely explored for 3,000 years.

This latest excavation will not be an easy job. The team will need to move hundreds of tons of rocks. But will they be able to peel back enough layers? And once-and-for-all uncover clues behind the true mysterious of the Western Valley of the Kings?

Sandstone Global for CHANNEL 5

It’s the most famous volcanic eruption of all time. Now, with Bettany Hughes as our guide, and with unique, exclusive access - we’re counting down the Top Ten Treasures of Pompeii. Each location is visually stunning, telling stories that open up the mysterious world of Ancient Pompeii.

With brand-new discoveries, as well as iconic, household names, this series celebrates the Bay of Naples’ all-time greats. From blockbuster ruins to tear- jerking personal items, with Bettany’s truly unique access, this is a thrilling countdown. With 2018 dubbed “the year of Pompeii” there’s a wealth of new discoveries for Bettany to reveal.

Rare TV for CHANNEL 5

The Ancient Egyptians have left behind an astonishing legacy of tombs, temples and artefacts all rich in detail and symbolism that tell the stories of life and death on the banks of the River Nile.

Beginning at the mouth of the mighty River Nile, Bettany travels almost 1,000 miles on a series of boats (traditional and modern) to Egypt’s border with Sudan. Stopping off at the most iconic, dazzling and important sites along the way Bettany will tell the fascinating, gruesome and most surprising stories of the great Ancient Egyptian Empire.

Travelling in the wake of the Ancient Egyptians and using her unique access and contacts to meet archaeologists, explorers and locals along the way, Bettany will visit the Empire’s greatest and most unusual monuments, with privileged access to the latest findings she will decode their inscriptions, intricate carvings and amazingly-preserved paintings to reveal the latest insights into both sides of this dark and the dazzling civilisation.

Lion TV for BBC ONE

Julius Caesar is the most famous Roman of them all: brutal conqueror, dictator and victim of a gruesome assassination on the Ides of March 44 BC. 2,000 years on, he still shapes the world. He has given us some political slogans we still use today (Crossing the Rubicon), his name lives on in the month of July, and there is nothing new about Vladmir Putin's carefully cultivated military image, and no real novelty in Donald Trump's tweets and slogans.

Mary Beard is on a mission to uncover the real Caesar, and to challenge public perception. She seeks the answers to some big questions. How did he become a one-man ruler of Rome? How did he use spin and PR on his way to the top? Why was he killed? And she asks some equally intriguing little questions. How did he conceal his bald patch? Did he really die, as William Shakespeare put it, with the words Et tu, Brute on his lips? Above all, Mary explores his surprising legacy right up to the present day. Like it or not, Caesar is still present in our everyday lives, our language, and our politics. Many dictators since, not to mention some other less autocratic leaders, have learned the tricks of their trade from Julius Caesar.

Lion TV for CHANNEL 4 & PBS

The story of the submerged Roman holiday retreat Baiae, where Emperors and the super-rich enjoyed lavish parties, sought out love affairs and plotted against their political rivals.

In the Bay of Naples lies a hidden wonder of the ancient World: Baiae. A few miles from Pompeii, and three times its size, Baiae was once the exclusive holiday retreat for Roman Emperors and the super rich. Unmatched in the Roman world as a place of pleasures and luxury, it was also a famous den of iniquity and political intrigue.

Now, with the help of a team of experts, this film investigates artefacts and ruins to paint for the first time a comprehensive picture of this ancient luxury resort. Expert historians illustrate how Rome’s elite would flock here to enjoy lavish boat-parties and seek out love affairs amid steaming sulphur baths. This was a place of staggering wealth, strewn with palatial villas with ambitious architectural innovations, elaborate dramatic water features and private fish farms ensuring an endless supply of the finest seafood. Privileged access to extraordinarily well preserved frescoes offers us hints on the splendour of these dwellings.

Lion TV for BBC & SPORT RELIEF

Eddie Izzard takes on the challenge of his life for Sport Relief.

As a personal homage to the 27 years that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, Eddie Izzard is going to run 27 marathons across South Africa, in 27 days. 

Throughout his journey he will explore the history of South Africa and Nelson Mandela as well as visiting communities, organisations and families that have all been helped by the work of Comic Relief.

This mammoth undertaking will culminate in Pretoria on Sunday 20 March, at the same time as the Sport Relief Games will be taking place across the UK.

Eddie’s route will trace the story of Nelson Mandela’s life, starting in his birthplace, before journeying to the school and university that he attended, then on to Cape Town and Robben Island where he was imprisoned. If Eddie completes all 27 marathons, he will end at the Union Buildings in Pretoria where Nelson Mandela gave his inaugural speech as the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994.

"I tried to do this four years ago and failed. This time I will succeed. But if I fail, I will come back again and again and again until I do succeed. Because that's what Nelson Mandela would have done." – Eddie Izzard

Lion TV for BBC TWO

This new series is driven by questions that have fascinated and intrigued Mary Beard throughout her whole academic career. Why the Romans? What made them special? What formula for empire building did they have and why does it still seem so relevant today? Alongside these more familiar queries, Mary asks the unexpected questions...

Of all the creation myths for an empire to have, why was the story of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf, so potent? Why did the Roman Empire - so aggressive and expansionist - so mistrust the idea of an emperor? Their most important word was 'citizen'; while 'rex' (or king) was hated as meaning only tyranny. How did they persuade their subject peoples to become Romans and why, to an extent, were they so tolerant of local diversity? And what, in the end, brought about the Empire’s downfall? Was it really rampaging barbarian hordes, or something more complex?

We see how Rome accumulated territory and allies throughout Italy, building an unstoppable momentum, and eventually taking on its great rival – Carthage. As Rome’s territory expanded, Mary explores how Romans dealt with new cultures and ideas, in particular in the Greek East, where Rome came face to face with the sophisticated Hellenistic world. Here, this meant a complex mix of brute force and cultural cringe, whereas in Western Europe, Mary finds evidence of methods akin to outright genocide

Lion TV for BBC TWO

Prof. Joann Fletcher explains how Ancient Egypt's extraordinary story fits together: from nomads to pyramid builders, from tomb robbers to the last of the Pharaohs.

In this four-part series, Joann goes in search of the building blocks of Egyptian civilisation. She learns how they evolved, in just a few centuries, from primitive farmers to pyramid builders.

Joann travels almost 20,000 years back in time to discover North Africa’s earliest rock art in Qurta, Upper Egypt, and explores the primal signs of Egyptian society at one of the earliest settlements along the River Nile. She discovers the first writing that was used to calculate taxes, and explores one of the first stone structures on Earth - Egypt’s first Pyramid.

She ends her journey in the greatest monument of them all – the Great Pyramid. Here she explains how Egypt had now reached its pinnacle: the ultimate society, creating one of the wonders of the ancient world, and ultimately establishes itself as the world's most fascinating and enduring civilisation.