Tutankhamun (2016) s01e03 Episode Script

Knew you were the right man for the job.
MAN: I've never heard of this Tutankhamun.
If I'm right, that would mean that he is buried here.
Thought about you a lot during the war.
What was happening.
Whether you were all right.
LORD CARNARVON: It's not safe here any more.
My daughter's here, for God's sake.
What is it you think we are to find? A royal tomb.
Has anyone got anything at all? - I belong here.
- And she's here.
HERBERT: You could go through this sand with a fine-mesh sieve, and not turn up anything new.
Well, I lost a cufflink out there in '07, if one of your chaps turns it up.
WOMAN: What is it? It's an entrance! (CHEERING) EVELYN: Carter! Poor Winlock is practically consumed with envy.
HOWARD: Mm.
I don't know why.
Haven't found anything yet.
There could be nothing down there at all.
Don't worry.
I wasn't going to jinx it.
It's just, he was digging here for ten years and he never even found the steps.
Well, there were workmen's huts, left over from the tomb of Ramses.
Dick Cruz had been storing tools in them.
They'd been there for thousands of years.
The steps were underneath.
(LAUGHS) You believed they were there.
(SIGHS) Oh, God, this waiting.
(SIGHS) Yes, I know.
You could offer me a drink.
- Evelyn - Carter.
What happened between us Me kissing you, you mean.
Yes.
It It wasn't appropriate.
No.
It wasn't.
Offer me a drink, Carter.
Would you like a drink? This is complicated.
You're the daughter of an earl.
I was aware.
And (SIGHS) Society.
I mean, look at me, for God's sake.
(LAUGHS) I haven't really ever been Carter, I don't care.
I don't care what you haven't really been.
I know exactly what I care about.
(SIGHS) You should probably go.
To dinner.
Whatever it is you people do out there.
(CHUCKLES) Well, then, you should be a gentleman.
Walk me home.
(LAUGHS) (SPEAKING ARABIC) (CAMEL BRAYS) Maya! Water! Here! (SPEAKS ARABIC) You're welcome.
Oh! What on earth are you doing? Lending a hand.
Evelyn You can't carry water.
Well, it seems I can, though.
I have been all morning.
And entertaining the troops into the bargain.
No, it's just, you You really shouldn't Look, Carter.
I can't just sit around waiting.
I need something to do.
So I'm doing this.
All right? Papa's gone to Cairo.
I'm to convey the message that if I'm in the way, you're to send me back.
- In the way.
- Mm-hm.
Right, well.
Erm Take a load of water to the men, will you? Yes, and then fill up the troughs for the mules.
Hm? Mr Carter? - Yes? - Er, my name's Merton.
I I don't believe we've met.
I'm the Times' correspondent in Cairo.
- How do you do? - Yes, erm, this site is closed to visitors.
Oh, I see.
Well, I I didn't mean to intrude, but you must, of course, be aware you are the object of quite some interest right now.
An undiscovered tomb entrance, blocked tunnel, the promise of treasures within.
Yes, I'm afraid there really is nothing to discuss at this point, - so, if you don't mind, I'm - Of course, I understand.
But should there become something to discuss in due course, if your endeavours bear fruit of any kind, may I just say that the Times would consider it a privilege to be allowed to cover the story.
I mean, I would consider it a privilege.
You came all the way from Cairo to say that? Mr Carter, I'd go almost to the ends of the earth right now to find a story that doesn't involve Arabs rioting or British soldiers shooting people or civil unrest.
Cairo to the Valley of the Kings was no distance at all.
- Well, Mr, er - Merton.
Mr Merton.
It seems we're both hoping for good news.
If, and when, I have some I'll be sure to let you know.
Thank you, sir.
That's that's very kind of you.
Not coming for dinner? Sometimes it's just as pleasant to dine alone.
Ah, indeed.
(CHUCKLES) Take a bottle of the Margaux instead, Carter prefers it.
(CHUCKLES) (CLINKING) (ECHOING) Who's there? Tomb robbers.
But - I brought food.
- Oh.
Well, gentlemen.
You must excuse me.
I will say good night to you all.
- Good night, sir.
- Good night.
- Good night, sir.
Oh, erm.
Have you seen Evelyn? Oh, I believe she retired a little while ago, sir.
Oh.
(KNOCKING) Evelyn? (KNOCKING) I went to find you last night and you weren't in your room.
No, I had trouble sleeping, so went for a walk.
I don't want you going off the premises.
Not now.
There've been two more killings in Luxor.
Both British.
We're being targeted.
I didn't know.
Your mother wants you to go home.
So if you want to stay, I need to know where you are, mm? If her mother could see her now, slaving like a navvy, she'd have my guts for garters.
And yours, too, I would imagine.
Who knew archaeology had such risks, eh? Indeed.
She's very strong-willed, always has been, since she was a child.
I sometimes worry it'll get her into trouble one day.
Carter, have you Have you considered the possibility there might be nothing at all down there? I know it's grubby to talk about money, but, erm I've sunk everything into this.
I've always loved a good game, but now I find I've staked everything I have on a turn of the cards.
All right, gentlemen.
Proceed.
Sir.
Mind your step.
(MEN SPEAKING ARABIC) - What do you have? - Look.
It's still sealed.
Do you know what this says? "Amun Tut Ankh.
" It's him.
This is It's really him.
(LAUGHS) This is the tomb.
Er, thank you all very much.
All your hard work, but, er, that'll be all for today.
Chokran.
(ALL SPEAKING ARABIC) Thank you! Well, what now? - Now we wait.
- We wait? For an official of the Antiquities Service.
Oh, God.
A man to come all the way from Cairo, I suppose.
It's required, I'm afraid.
Otherwise we lay ourselves open to charges of tomb-robbing.
They'll take our licence, they'll revoke everything.
What if there's nothing there? What if it's all gone? Er The spike, the the mallet.
- Yes.
- Both.
Right.
It's too dark.
Can't see a damn thing.
Pass, er, the stick.
Tie them, yes.
Good.
Nice and tight.
Can you see anything? Carter? Can you see anything? Yes.
Wonderful things.
Yes, yes.
Put it in the wall.
We'll keep it locked until the Antiquities Service gets here.
We mustn't give them the slightest cause for concern.
Quite right.
What's down there, what we saw Well, under the terms of the concession, half of it will go to Cairo, but the other half will go to your father.
He'll never have to concern himself with money again.
Excuse me? I have something for you.
Huh.
Can't sleep either? Mm, no.
No.
You would think, having waited ten years, that we could wait a few more days, wouldn't you? Yes, you'd think.
The block work in the lower left-hand corner was damaged.
The plaster had come off.
- Stones were exposed.
- Ah.
In fact, now I think about it, there were no seals in that part of the door whatsoever.
- Really? - Really.
Just do it before we all go mad.
It's intact.
(EVELYN LAUGHS) It's intact! Good God! Look at all this.
You're the first person to have touched that in 3,000 years.
You knew he was here.
You knew you could find him.
Carter! Where's the coffin? Has to be here, somewhere.
My God! There's more.
This this this is just the antechamber.
(EVELYN SIGHS) This this, this is the burial chamber.
The seals are still intact.
He's he's in here.
(HOWLING) We've locked the tomb until the Antiquities Service gets here.
So what we need is a proper system, so the artefacts can be first dealt with in situ and then be brought out for cataloguing and recording.
We need secure workspaces for treatment and preservation.
But most of all, we're not- We need people.
People who understand what they're doing.
- We need - You've seen inside.
Haven't you? How else would you know who you need and how many of them? You already know what the job is.
Well don't worry.
All your little secrets are safe with me.
So, tell me what you have on your hands, and I will wave my wand over your endeavours.
A royal tomb.
Still intact.
Now, on your honour now, not a word, do you hear me? (SIGHS) Yes.
And poor Davis said the Valley was all dug out.
Hm.
Well, you may count me and what remains of my honour at your disposal.
But all the Met has out here at the moment is a scratch crew.
Callender and Mace can join you straightaway, but for the rest, I'll have to cable home for the cavalry.
I need to send a cable to the director of the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Yes, sir.
Request all assistance possible.
Howard Carter's dig, Valley of the Kings.
Stop.
Significant expertise required, all fields.
Stop.
Royal tomb.
Stop.
Winlock.
- Yes, sir.
- Thank you.
LORD CARNARVON: Monsieur Lacau.
Good morning to you, sir.
We could not be more delighted that you're here with your colleagues from the Antiquities Service.
Come along, have a drink.
There's people I'd very much like you to meet.
Of course, first of all, my esteemed colleague, Mr Carter.
- Monsieur Lacau.
- Mr Carter.
- Mr Lacau.
- Shall we? Er Ah.
Right.
Erm After you.
- Nothing has been tampered with? - See for yourself.
This is all in order.
Please, Mr Carter.
You may proceed.
LORD CARNARVON: Quite brilliant, I'd say.
But to be completely honest, I can't take all the credit.
It was Maspero that recommended Carter to me.
My predecessor's death was a great loss to scholarship.
- Such a man of letters.
- Mm, indeed.
Even if his colonial sympathies sometimes led him to imprudence.
(COUGHS) A royal tomb, gentlemen.
- A royal tomb.
- ALL: A royal tomb! We begin at first light.
Now, the Metropolitan has been unstintingly generous, so not only do we have Well, I don't want to embarrass anyone by saying its best men, so I will simply say its available men.
(LAUGHTER) We also have tools and materials being brought over from dig site four.
And they will be brought over tonight.
Nothing is to be touched, nor moved until its initial position has been recorded.
Harry will take a plate of the chamber exactly as it currently stands.
Now, the most urgent steps are preservation and treatment.
Every item will be assigned a catalogue number.
We are commandeering King's Valley 15 as primary laboratory and storage.
Harry will take a final reference plate at that point.
And we'll set up a dark room next door for processing.
Items will be examined, prepared for storage, packed and crated and held there before being sent on to the Cairo Museum.
Now, every worker will be searched coming in and going out and that includes us, gentlemen.
No exceptions.
Needless to say, what we are uncovering here is unprecedented.
We simply cannot be too careful.
(SHOUTING) Out of my way! Move out! Get some posts and a rope and move them back, you hear me? - Move them all back! - Yes, Mr Carter.
Move! Move! (SHOUTING) Don't go up there, it's bloody bedlam.
(SCOFFS) What did you expect? What have you got? Look at these, I've never seen anything like them.
(RUMBLING) (GASPS) Been doing that a bit.
It's reacting to the fresh air coming in.
Hm.
Our breath.
Humidity.
Good God.
The thread's perished.
We could get the laboratory chaps down here.
No, there isn't enough room.
They're too far gone.
- If we touch them - Wax.
Paraffin wax.
It's neutral, stable.
We melt it down, paint it on, drip it on, let it solidify, and then we lift them out.
I'll get some wax.
And Nut was lifted up into the sky on a canopy over the earth.
Her dark skin was sown with stars and it was out of this union that the gods Seth, Nephthys, Osiris and Isis were born.
That's rather a beautiful story.
It is, isn't it? And then, of course, Seth becomes jealous of his brother and murders Osiris.
It's Cain and Abel all over again.
Yes, it is.
Funny how the same stories come round and round.
What are we going to tell your father? About what? About us.
Nothing.
Evelyn, he's my patron.
This is just you and me.
Hm.
Come through.
What are they looking at? It's packing materials.
They're photographing packing materials.
Bloody idiots.
They don't know what they're looking at.
Mr Carter.
Yes? Is it true that Lord Carnarvon flying treasures from the tomb to England at night? - What? - We've heard that three cargo planes have been filled and taken off in secret from the Valley of the Kings.
Are you taking Tutankhamun's treasures back to England? Of course not! - Utter nonsense! - They want a story.
You have the best story in the world right now, you see that? (SIGHS) Everyone's had their fill of war and awfulness.
You have a boy king, a lost tomb and the wonders of a forgotten age.
Of course they want to talk to you.
Well, they'll have to remain disappointed.
Carter, if they don't get the story that they want, they'll look for another story.
Any other story.
They might look so hard that they find one we don't want them to find, do you understand? I see.
Yes.
- Talk to them.
- Yes, all right! They're just people.
I'll try.
(LAUGHS) - Mr Carter.
- Mr Lacau! We weren't expecting the Service today.
I merely wished to observe your methods firsthand.
Ah.
There have been one or two, erm shall we say, unsettling rumours.
Mm.
Yes.
Well, you can rest easy.
Everything is here.
Everything is properly accounted for.
And yet, not everything has made its way to the Cairo Museum.
Well, you see, we are sending items along as soon as they have been properly packed for transportation.
Some of the items are particularly delicate.
We are having to develop methods of preservation as we go along.
But I was actually going to ask you, Mr Lacau, of the items that we have sent along to the Museum, we've yet to hear anything back on decisions of distribution of the finds.
Er I don't understand, Mr Carter.
What we find, what finds we make, are to be divided.
Equally.
The Museum of course, gets first pick, but we've yet to hear anything back.
Erm Mr Carter, I'm afraid you are very much mistaken.
No, no mistake.
What you describe applies to incidental finds in the Valley.
Pottery, or suchlike.
- What? - Not to a royal tomb.
A royal tomb is the heritage of Egypt.
It is the property of Egypt, in its entirety.
No, you see, Mr Lacau, that's not the case.
The terms of the concession, the law, is that whatever is found is to be divided half and half.
Between It's always been that way.
I'm sorry, Mr Carter, but you are incorrect.
The law has changed.
It may have always been that way before, but not any longer.
I'm sorry, what do you mean, the law has changed? When? Six weeks ago.
I'm afraid the situation is entirely legal and entirely clear.
The contents of any royal tomb, everything here, in other words, is the property of the Antiquities Service and will remain in Egypt.
Lady Evelyn.
Mr Carter.
(SPEAKING FRENCH) Having sunk the greater part of my fortune into this dig, I expect this means I shall be ruined.
We should have seen this coming.
We all knew which way the wind's blowing, and it's blowing the British out of Egypt.
"Six weeks ago, the law changed.
" He must be so very, very pleased with himself! - Despicable little shit! - Evelyn! 3,000 years and no one's found it.
No one even thought it was here.
He's buried in Amarna, he's in an unmarked grave and the Valley's dug out.
There's nothing left.
Tomb would have been here for another 3,000 years if you and Carter hadn't believed in it.
Now you listen to me.
Your father was the only man to believe in me.
The only man to back me.
I owe him everything.
And so I will not see him brought down by this.
I will get his money back, do you understand me? Somehow.
Evelyn, I promise you I will find a way.
I know you will.
I know.
Mind out.
Let me through.
Let's go inside.
Well, you've heard the news, and it's far from ideal.
But we keep going.
We all keep going.
What about the money? Let me worry about that.
Right.
Back to work.
MAN: Sir? You want I should find a buyer? Very quiet.
No.
(SIGHS) Absolutely not.
- Mr Merton? - Mr Carter.
Do you have a moment? Yes.
Perhaps we should go somewhere a little quieter.
- Yes.
- Please.
(ALL SHOUTING) Mr Carter! Mr Carter! Tell me, Mr Merton.
What exactly is it that you press people want to know? - What do we want to know? - Yes.
Everything.
Everything? Sir, I-I'm not sure you realise.
There is no information.
We're all just scrabbling over scraps.
What exactly are the finds that you're bringing out? We've seen jars and containers.
What's in them? Why are they there? What does the Egyptian writing mean? People are calling it the Tomb of the Bird, why is that? And Tutankhamun, who was he? Was he a great Pharaoh, or just a boy who got lucky? What have you found so far? What are you hoping to find? Everything.
Half the day we're just gossiping amongst ourselves wondering what that fantastic object that your chap's carrying past is.
And you think there is an appetite for this story? Mr Carter.
Right now, you are the talk of the world.
You could give me your laundry list and I'd put it on the front page.
(LAUGHS) This is a fairytale come to life.
Let us write it.
Just give us access.
Let us see what you see.
No, you see, I can't be dealing with press or cameras.
- Ah! - Too much, it interferes with the dig.
The crowds are already out of control as it is.
- But then - No, what I'm suggesting here, Mr Merton, is a specific relationship.
You, that is, the Times.
You get access.
I'll talk to you.
I'll show you.
No one else.
And then you can distribute the story to other newspapers as you see fit.
But it's one reporter, it's not a hundred.
What do you think? An exclusive, you mean? Yes.
An exclusive with rights to syndicate? On the tomb of Tutankhamun.
With photographs, and whatever else you choose.
Would that be worth something? To the Times, Mr Merton? Worth something? Would it be worth enough to fund my dig? To pay my men? For a while, at least.
Well, I-I should have to cable my editor, but, erm Yes.
I believe it would.
I like this house of yours.
Something calm and silent about it.
When I was growing up, home always meant noise and brothers and babies underfoot.
So when I came out here, I sort of fell in love with the silence.
Perhaps it's the Valley.
- Perhaps everyone falls in love.
- Hm.
Is that why you used to live in your tomb? The silence? No, that was more necessity than preference.
(LAUGHS) Yeah, it was convenient.
Certainly didn't have to pay rent.
Well, I thought it was rather romantic.
Yes, poverty only looks romantic when you look at it from your stately home.
Well, if it comes to it If this little adventure ends up finishing us and we have to sell the estate, we'll get to try it firsthand.
I'm sorry, I didn't It won't come to that.
We have war debt.
An entailment.
We're laying off staff.
I'm sorry.
Don't be.
We found something wonderful.
Yes, we did.
No regrets, Carter.
Do you really think you should still be calling me Carter? Do you think that I should call you Howard? - Well, yes.
Yes I do.
- I can't, it's awful! My name is awful? You think my name is awful.
It's a little bit awful.
(LAUGHS) Sorry.
It's just you've always been Carter.
My Carter.
- That's it, all done.
- Excellent.
So now we can open the burial chamber.
- Yes.
First thing tomorrow.
- I can't wait.
Ah, I think we should be leaving.
(SHOUTING) - Jesus.
Dear God, what's got into them? - I don't know.
But I think discretion may be the better part of valour.
Right, let's shut up shop.
What the bloody hell's got everyone so stirred up? Ow! God! Get out! Yes, up here, quickly.
(GUNSHOT) (SCREAMING) (GUNFIRE) - Down here! - Watch out.
(GUNFIRE) (SCREAMING) What on earth set them off? Do you really have no idea what's going on? No? "Carter's blundering progress puts the future of these priceless relics in jeopardy.
" "Treasures from the tomb are even now being shipped in secret to Britain.
" "The curse of the tomb revealed.
" "Ancient prophecies speak of dire retribution.
" - It's all nonsense.
- What did you do? I didn't do anything.
You struck a deal with Merton.
You granted the Times exclusive access to the dig.
Yes, because they're willing to pay for it.
They'll give us another month of dig time.
Six months, maybe.
Did it never cross your mind that to favour one newspaper, to the exclusion of all the others, would turn every other journalist in the world against us? That if you deny them the story that you gave the Times, they will simply print their own! "Sources close to the dig report that Lord Carnarvon, whose fortune funds the excavation, intends Tutankhamun's mummy to be transported back to Britain, and to be put on display at the British Museum!" This, when the bloody Arabs are just itching for a fight.
Winlock, would you would you kindly excuse us? Of course.
(SIGHS) (CLOCK CHIMING) Do you know what damage this causes us? Causes me? Well, we issue a correction.
Where? In the Times? No one else will print it! And now we have a dig crew who are afraid to work, we have mobs throwing rocks at our men, and a telegram from the Foreign Office, asking what the hell I think I'm playing at.
This is exactly what Lacau wants.
I never for a moment considered that my Anyone with a modicum of common sense would have considered! Would have thought twice! How in God's name could you be so incompetent? - I found this tomb.
- Oh, you found the tomb? And that gives you the right to run roughshod over the press? And to make deals behind my back? They were made in good faith.
My Do you think that gives you licence to bed my daughter? You? How dare you? - Evelyn and I - Lady Evelyn.
I've put up with you.
I've extended you every tolerance.
But you have become a liability to the excavation.
And you have betrayed my trust.
That was not my intention.
- My Lord, Lady Evelyn - I will make this very clear.
Very clear indeed.
You will not see my daughter again, you will not speak to her, you will not write to her, you will leave her alone.
Or find yourself another position.
Would you allow me to speak? Not for myself, for Evelyn.
You, sir, are responsible.
You.
Don't you dare put words into my daughter's mouth.
- I've nothing more to say to you.
- You have nothing more to say? Nothing.
Then you have my resignation.
Good day, sir.
Good day.
You do know that nothing can come of this, mm? What kind of future could I possibly offer.
Lady Evelyn Carnarvon? What in God's name is going on out there? They know Carnarvon's here.
(GASPS) What is that? The shrine of a king.
I don't want to go.
Do you believe Lord Carnarvon got what he deserved, opening the tomb? You find it, it goes to Cairo, you don't get a cent.
You must be joking.
Priceless antiquities.
All just handed to you on a plate.