Bettany Hughes is traveling 900 miles up the Nile river and examining the sites of ancient Egypt history. It's a four part mini-series. She gives off the airs of a history-loving British middle age mom on an exotic holiday. The first two episodes are a bit scattered filled with little peeks into tourism Egypt. It's hard to keep track of her journey. There are some unusual snippets like one trying to mummify a family cat. It's quirky and it's morbid but at least, it's memorable. I like it when she's talking to a random tourist family. It's a real moment and not trying to present one thing after another. The third episode is mostly about Luxor and that is more like a travelog. It's a better mix to have interactions with the people as much as touring ancient temples. The final episode has the most compelling section of the series where she happens upon an actual excavation. It has real tension and visceral energy. The rest of the mini-series is talking about the past but this little section is happening right then, in the present. The excitement of discovery is pulpable. I don't know if I knew that stelae were painted. I may have heard it in another program. I won't forget it now that I've seen the color being uncovered right in front of the camera. Every monument was probably painted in brilliant colors when they were first erected and now I see them differently. It also ends perfectly with a tourist mob trying to capture a fleeting moment on their cell phones. I love that parallel between today and history. In the end, it's fame and it's salesmanship.