Radio Times: Review by:; Jane Anderson

Roger Luckhurst, a professor in modern and contemporary literature, has been studying stories about curses and Egyptian mummies for years and he has a theory.

As with all theories, it’s damned hard to prove in its entirety, but it makes for a fascinating 30 minutes on radio: the curse of the Pharaohs did not begin with Tutankhamun and Howard Carter but almost 50 years earlier with two posh fellows called Thomas Douglas Murray and Walter Ingram.

The latter’s family certainly seem to have met the most unfortunate deaths since his tomb-raiding days, many linked to drowning, but is that really a curse or simply unhappy coincidence?

About this programme

Roger Luckhurst explores the alleged curse of the Egyptian pharaohs, which has been often portrayed in both literature and cinema in the form of vengeful mummies coming back from the dead. He investigates its origins and traces them back to popular adventurers' tales from the 19th century, especially those by Walter Ingram and Thomas Douglas Murray.