Do not watch this expecting a glamourous British documentary of Egypt and its mysteries. There are no awe-inspiring panoramas of camels strolling in front of pyramids. Nor does it contain articulate interviews with professors of history or archaeology.

But this series captures the essence of Egyptology in a way no other documentary has yet managed. For example, in episode two, there are interviews with modern day inhabitants near the lost tombs of Thebes, who keep their domesticated animals in empty tombs and claim ignorance of their importance. The Egyptian government has built a new city elsewhere for the residents, but they refuse to leave; meanwhile, their accumulated sewage leaks into the ground, damaging and eroding the ancient tombs.

We see Egypt through the eyes of one of the most controversial figures in the world of archaeology, Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (and a notorious media hog). Hawass is passionate and theatrical – and he truly believes he is the only one who can explain the real Egypt.

Despite the topic, the series is surprisingly contemporary. Hawass is deeply concerned with saving Egypt’s artefacts (once famously describing a poor preservation of the Sphinx as cancerous), and it’s a race against time. The series also contains the latest discoveries in Egyptology, such as the opening of the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut, said to be Egypt’s most powerful female ruler, in the Valley of the Kings. Identification of her mummy was heralded as the biggest find since Tutankhamen.

However, watching just one hour-long episode out of the 10 can be somewhat dizzying. Quick cuts between images leave little time for the eyes to focus, graphics fl ash up on screen but remain unexplained, and poorly formulated English requires your full attention. It can be challenging to watch, but contains many valuable insights into modern Egyptology.