Joanna Lumley: Jewel in the Nile

Joanna Lumley goes on the trip of a lifetime - exploring the River Nile, from sea to source. Joanna follows the Nile through Egypt capturing the spirit of Agatha Christie in Cairo and later on a Nile cruise. She travels by train, road and Felucca barge, discovering life as it is today along one of the world's greatest rivers, ending in Aswan, a town the Victorians viewed as `being on the edge of civilisation'.

Joanna Lumley follows the Nile into the remote deserts of northern Sudan, meeting a survivor of a crocodile attack and going in search of the legendary beast herself. In Karima, Joanna is introduced to the treasures of Nubia, an ancient African kingdom ruled by the little-known black pharaohs. Making her way to Khartoum she stops en route to meet a family of nomads who live in the remote sub-Saharan environment.

Joanna Lumley reaches Khartoum, the capital of Sudan and the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile. She observes the city's famous whirling dervishes, and enjoys the `dukhan' - a traditional beauty treatment for women. Joanna also takes a detour high into Ethiopia's Simien mountains where she encounters an unusual group of Olympic hopefuls.

Joanna is on the final part of her journey. In Southern Sudan she flies over the world's largest swamp, the Sudd, and in the main town of Juba she finds that a fragile peace process has brought about a re-emergence of beauty pageants. From Juba, Joanna heads into Uganda where she follows the White Nile up to the famed Murchison Falls, and meets a modern-day adventurer who shows her a new source of the Nile.