WHATSONTV – Max Irons and Sam Neill delve into the ancient tombs of Egypt in ITV’s new four-part mini-series Tutankhamun.

Women in Gold star Max Iron plays the role of British archaeologist Howard Carter in his search to discover the tomb of one of Ancient Egypt’s forgotten pharaohs, the boy-king Tutankhamun.

Peaky Blinder star Sam Neill will play Lord Carnarvon, Carter’s eccentric financial backer. Further cast includes Downton Abbey’s Catherine Steadman, The Last Kingdom’s Amy Wren, Sherlock’s Jonathan Aris and Game of Thrones’ Rupert Vansittart.

Written by Guy Burt, Tutankhamun retells the true story of Howard Carter and his journey from nobody to somebody, from a man struggling to survive on the cuffs of society to become a living icon in the early 20th Century.

Set in the relentless heat of Egypt’s Valley of Kings in 1905, the young Howard is leading an expedition in search of the boy-king. While working alongside the locals, his temper causes him to lose everything. His license to dig is revoked, leaving him trapped in a desperate situation…

With his reputation in ruins, he spends the following years homeless, selling everything he holds precious in order to survive. Against a stunning backdrop of sand and cliffs, it is only Carter’s determination that allows him to endure.

The aristocratic Lord Carnarvon comes to the rescue, hiring him for a series of excavations. And so an unlikely friendship blossoms, eventually leading them to discover the last resting place of Tutankhamun.

No word yet on when Tutankhamun will screen on ITV, but it will possibly this autumn.