Pompeii: The Mystery of the People Frozen in Time
02:30 am - 03:30 am, Wednesday, April 1 on BBC Four (9)
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About this Broadcast
Documentary in which Margaret Mountford visits the Roman town of Pompeii, where in 79AD the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius encased its citizens in lava, creating body casts that populate the ruins. No one has yet been able to fully explain how these people became frozen in time, so while forensic scientists peer beneath the plaster to rebuild the faces of two victims and recreate the final moments of the townsfolk, Margaret dispels the myths surrounding the events in 79AD and explores the lives of the individuals who lived in the enigmatic city
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Did You Know..
Margaret Mountford
(Presenter)
Born:
November 24, 1951
in
Holywood, Northern Ireland
Best Known For:
Being Alan Sugar's righthand woman.
Early-life:
Born Margaret Swale in Holywood, Northern Ireland, on November 24, 1951, the daughter of a clergyman. She believes her background has contributed to her business acumen, telling the BBC: 'I think coming from Northern Ireland gives you a lot of common sense and a basic level-headedness that stands you in very good stead.' Margaret was educated at a grammar school in Belfast, before heading to Girton College, Cambridge. She initially studied French and German, before switching to law.
Career:
Mountford became a corporate lawyer for the firm Herbert Smith, and first met Alan Sugar in the 1980s, when Amstrad went public. In 1999, at the age of 47, she decided to retire from the law, but joined the board of Amstrad as a non-executive director. She also went back to univeristy, studying classics and working part-time on a PhD in papyrology. However, her career took an unexpected turn in 2004 when Sugar was approached to make a British version of US hit The Apprentice, and recommended Mountford for a role on the show. Along with Nick Hewer, she acted as the boss's 'eyes and ears' and was hailed as one of the series' unsung stars. She left The Apprentice after appearing in five series, although she has returned in a smaller capacity to help Sugar narrow down the candidates to the final two. With Hewer, she has appeared in Dictionary Corner on Countdown and presented the documentaries We All Pay Your Benefits and Nick and Margaret: Too Many Immigrants?
Quote:
'As a City lawyer you're pretty faceless outside the clients, the accountants, those you deal with. Now, people come up to me in the street, they feel they know me.'
Trivia:
She completed her PhD in 2012 at University College London.
Will Aslett
(Executive producer)
Chris Holt
(Director)
