Joseph Fiennes and his cousin Sir Ranulph Fiennes are going to journey down the Nile river in Egypt as part of a new three-part documentary series, Fiennes: Return to the Nile, for National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 261).
Together the two will journey down the Nile to revisit locations that Sir Ranulph Fiennes previously explored during his first expedition of the river 50 years ago in 1969 when he joined the White Nile Hovercraft Expedition in which he travelled from Alexandria on the Mediterranean to the Nile's source at Lake Victoria.
Fiennes: Return to the Nile that will be broadcast worldwide in 2019 on National Geographic in 172 countries, will explore whether Joseph Fiennes can make it in Sir Ranulph Fiennes' world and whether he has what it takes to be an explorer.
They will crawl through the claustrophobic confines of a newly discovered ancient Egyptian tomb in Minya, get to grips with Tachtib - a traditional fighting technique using four foot sticks - and come face-to-face with dangerous snakes and spiders.
Fiennes: Return to the Nile is produced by the independent British production company Woodcut Media, in association with The Development Partnership.
"I am delighted to be embarking on this adventure with National Geographic and my cousin, Ran," says Joseph Fiennes who will also be a producer of the series, in a statement. "It is every boy’s dream to go on an expedition with the world's great living explorer. I am delighted to be going on this journey."
Sir Ranulph Fiennes says "I am delighted to have the opportunity to re-trace the steps of my original expedition in 1969, and this time with my cousin Joe and National Geographic. I know first-hand how fascinating and exhilarating Egypt is for an explorer and I can't wait to show Joe the ropes and to see how much Egypt has changed in the last 50 years".
Jules Oldroyd, the senior vice-president for international programming for National Geographic, says "Authentic, visceral and highly entertaining, Fiennes: Return to the Nile embodies National Geographic's mission to inspire and ignite the explorer in all of us".
"We are thrilled to be working with legendary explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and critically acclaimed actor Joseph Fiennes on this exhilarating and thrilling expedition."
Derren Lawford, the creative director and executive producer at Woodcut Media, says "This series marks Woodcut's first commission with National Geographic and we are delighted to be co-producing this with The Development Partnership for such an iconic channel".
"We know that Fiennes: Return to the Nile will take viewers on an incredibly breathtaking and unforgettable journey that will entrance audiences in the United States and the world over."
