Doc series distributed worldwide by Woodcut International
London/Hampshire, Monday 24th November2025 – Indie prodco Woodcut Media and distributor Woodcut International step back in time to unveil a new 2-part documentary The Race for Ancient Egypt in Colour which has presold to Channel 4 (UK) and SBS (Australia).
Further pre-sales finalised by Woodcut International also include BBC Studios (for BBC Earth in Africa and the BBC Select streaming service in the US and Canada), AMC Networks International Southern Europe (for Canal HISTORIA) and YLE Finland.
The Race for Ancient Egypt in Colour (2 x 60’) follows on from Woodcut’s recent productions – Titanic in Colour, Britain’s Railway Empire in Colour and The Manhattan Project in Colour. The docs employ stunning colourisation techniques to archive footage and images, injecting new life into historical events in a breathtaking way.
The Race for Ancient Egypt in Colour reveals the extraordinary story of Egypt in the years between the World Wars – a time when archaeology became entangled in the politics of a nation striving for sovereignty. In 1922, Egyptology burst onto the world stage with Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb sparking global Egyptomania. But the discovery came amid a period of rapid political change, with Egypt having won partial independence from Britain. As its leaders sought greater control over foreign excavations, many Western archaeologists resisted, unwilling to relinquish access to a past, and despite the crucial Egyptian contributions that went largely unrecognised, the race for ancient Egypt was on!
The series also addresses other key discoveries made during this era such as Queen Hetepheres’ tomb, and Pierre Montet’s spectacular yet little-know discovery at Tanis – until World War II brought this golden age of discovery in Egypt to an end.
Andre Holzinger is Series Producer, with Tom Adams and Kate Beal serving as Executive Producers. Woodcut International is handling worldwide sales.
Andre Holzinger, Series Producer, Woodcut Media said: “It was fascinating to look back at this extraordinary period of discovery from a new perspective, to tell the lesser-known stories and bring them to audiences in a visually engaging and exciting way.”
Koulla Anastasi, Managing Director, Woodcut International added: “We have seen a tremendous interest in this series, and are pleased to have finalised these presales. Bringing these incredible stories to life with the latest colourisation techniques, and Egyptology a source of fascination for centuries, we know broadcasters and audiences alike will find this 2-part doc a real treasure trove!”
###
About Woodcut Media:
Founded by award-winning producer Kate Beal in 2014, UK indie prodco Woodcut Media is a female-led operation with a diverse team at its core, whose main ethos is to provide an honest and trusted voice – creating programming that tells incredible human stories with creativity, authenticity, and care. As well as being one of the leading true crime doc producers in the UK, Woodcut also specialises in a broad range of standout unscripted content – factual entertainment, specialist factual, and premium/talent led programming. Titles include Confessions of a Psycho Killer, The Murder of Meredith (Amazon Prime Video), long-running series World’s Most Evil Killers/Britain’s Most Evil Killers (9 seasons), Fiennes: Return to the Wild and Fiennes: Return to the Nile with Joseph and Sir Ranulph Fiennes (Nat Geo), Cut from a Different Cloth, Mandela, My Dad and Me, both featuring Idris Elba, and Titanic in Colour (Nat Geo) to name a few. In December 2024 Woodcut launched its first FAST channel (‘Crime Files’) in Australia. The same month Woodcut achieved B-Corp certification and also began its expansion into the digital space with the roll-out of YouTube channels under the banner The Uncut Network (True Crime Uncut, Underworld Uncut, History Uncut, Essentially Uncut).www.woodcutmedia.com
About Woodcut International:
Established in September 2020, UK based Woodcut International is the distribution division of Woodcut Media, a leading producer of a broad range of factual programming that includes True Crime, specialist factual, premium factual and factual entertainment. Woodcut International focuses on the global sales of select Woodcut Media series and specials that include new productions and library titles such as Titanic in Colour, World War II: Women on the Frontline, World’s Most Dangerous Prisoners, A Royal Guide To, (K)nox: The Rob Knox Story, Forgotten War Stories, The Killer Within, the Idris Elba led docs (Cut from a Different Cloth, Mandela, My Dad and Me), and Fukushima: Nature in the Danger Zone. www.woodcutinternational.com
