Written by on Jul 8, 2015. Posted in On Location

UK period drama Tutankhamun to film on location in South Africa

A period drama telling the story of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in the 1920s will be filmed on location in South Africa for ITV. British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of the Ancient Egyptian boy-king in 1922 after years of searching.

Tutankhamun will be filmed as a four-part drama following Carter’s archaeological adventures from 1905 and his relationship with Lord Carnarvon, the wealthy patron who funded much of the search for the now-famous pharaoh.

“Howard Carter’s discovery of the lost tomb of Tutankhamun is legendary,” said Francis Hopkinson, Creative Director of Drama for ITV Studios.

“His all-consuming, obsessive search for the tomb pushed his friendship with Lord Carnarvon to the brink, whilst the adventurous and extrovert aristocrat poured his inheritance into the excavation.”

“Tutankhamun is a story of epic proportions,” added Steve November, ITV’s Director of Drama: “Against the backdrop of World War One, conflict, murder, corruption, romance and the unlikeliest of friendships, Tutankhamun sees Howard Carter’s determination pay off in spectacular style when he discovers one of the greatest archaeological treasures of the modern world.”

South Africa’s filming incentives and climate mean it is a frequent stand-in for Middle Eastern and Central Asian locations. Cape Town doubled for Pakistan in the latest series of terrorism drama Homeland and stood in for Afghanistan in the BBC’s modern war series Our Girl.

American cable channel Spike TV recently filmed its own drama series Tut on location in Morocco (above). Co-starring Ben Kingsley as a senior courtier, the series is set in Ancient Egypt and tells a story of backroom politics and intrigue during Tutankhamun’s rule.

(Image: Jan Thijs/Muse Entertainment/Spike TV)