Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer

About this Broadcast

Following the discovery of a skeleton that archaeologists believe to be the sister of Cleopatra VII, Neil Oliver examines the reign of the ruthless queen. On a journey taking him from Egypt to Turkey, he unravels the story behind the monarch's lust for power and the possible cause of her sibling's death

Documentary News/Current Affairs

Cast & Crew

Neil Oliver (Presenter)

Richard Bradley (Executive producer)

Paul Elston (Director)

More Information

Did You Know..

Neil Oliver (Presenter)

Born: February 21, 1967 in Renfrewshire

Best Known For: Coast.

Early-life: Neil was born in Renfrewshire on February 21, 1967. He went to school in Dumfries, before going on to attend Glasgow University to study archaeology. He worked as a freelance archaeologist before training as a journalist. Oliver's TV debut came in 2002 with BBC Two's Two Men in a Trench, which featured Oliver and close friend Tony Pollard visiting historic British battlefields and recreating the battle situation using state of the art archaeological techniques. In addition to the TV series, Oliver co-wrote the two accompanying books.

Career: In 2005, Oliver wrote a tie-in book for the Channel 4 documentary Not Forgotten, which featured Ian Hislop. Oliver then became the archaeological and social history expert on Coast and later replaced Nicholas Crane as the show's main presenter. 2006 saw Oliver appear in two more documentary series, Channel 4's The Face of Britain and BBC Two's Scotland's History: The Top Ten. As well as this, in August 2006 he appeared on the special Big Royal Dig edition of Channel 4's Time Team, in which he presented a dig at Holyrood House. His other TV credits include Vikings, Sacred Wonders of Britain, Coast Australia and The Memorial: Beyond the Anzac.

Quote: 'I'd be unwilling to go back to a time that preceded modern dentistry or pain relief. It would be wonderful to see the construction of Stonehenge, but not with an impacted wisdom tooth.'

Trivia: Oliver is a patron of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers.