University News Last updated 19 November
The BBC’s flagship arts series Civilisations: Rise and Fall returns this month - and one of the key expert voices guiding audiences through this extraordinary journey is award-winning writer, broadcaster and cultural historian Professor Islam Issa.
Recently appointed as the UK’s first ever Professor of Public Humanities, the Birmingham City University academic plays a central role in Episode Two: The Last Days of the Ptolemies in Egypt – even advising on casting, including the role of Cleopatra.
Produced by BBC Studios with unprecedented access to the British Museum’s most remarkable artefacts, the series charts how four great civilisations rose to global prominence and confronted world-shifting crises.
“It's thrilling to be part of such an iconic BBC series,” said Professor Issa (pictured).
“The first iteration in 1969 was developed by David Attenborough and presented by Kenneth Clark, so it's a privilege to be involved in the continuation and reinvention of such a defining programme.”
Blending cinematic drama, authoritative expertise and privileged entry into museum spaces rarely seen by the public, Civilisations: Rise and Fall is among BBC Arts’ most ambitious and visually striking offerings of the year.
In the Egypt episode, Professor Issa delivers compelling new insight into the turbulent final decades of Cleopatra VII, one of history’s most iconic leaders.
He examines how Cleopatra inherited a dynasty already weakened by generations of political infighting and economic instability - and how her reign was further imperilled by what he identifies as a historical “perfect storm”: famine, destructive Nile flooding, the climatic chaos triggered by a major volcanic eruption, and the intensifying aggression of Rome.
Drawing on extraordinary Egyptian treasures held in the British Museum - including the imposing crocodile mummy linked to the god Sobek – he also shows how these objects illuminate a civilisation striving to hold itself together in the face of overwhelming pressure.
Professor Issa appears alongside an outstanding roster of global experts, each bringing unique perspectives to Cleopatra’s world.
They include Professor Toby Wilkinson, Egyptologist and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge; Dr Aurélia Masson-Berghoff, Curator of Late Period, Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt at the British Museum; and Joseph Manning, Professor of History and Classics at Yale University.
“The stories and artefacts in the series show how the humanities, in this case history and art, help us understand our present moment and inform our future,” said Professor Issa.
“Joining such an esteemed group of high-profile institutions and individuals underscores BCU’s dedication to public engagement in the arts and humanities.”
Civilisations: Rise and Fall is a BBC Studios Specialist Factual production for BBC Arts and will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, beginning on 24 November.