ITV’s new four-part drama Tutankhamun, about Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb of one of Ancient Egypt’s long lost pharaohs, comes with a fair few familiar faces attached.
Max Irons (Jeremy Irons' son) plays Carter, while Sam Neill (Peaky Blinders, Jurassic Park) plays the eccentric Lord Carnarvon, the man who funds Carter’s expeditions into the desert.

The story of King Tut is written by Guy Burt, the man behind Jekyll and Hyde, The Bletchley Circle and The Borgias.
Here are the cast and their bios...

Max Irons plays Howard Carter

Down on his luck archaeologist Howard Carter stumbles upon evidence of an undiscovered tomb of one of Egypt’s forgotten Pharaohs, Tutankhamun, right at the heart of the Valley of the Kings. Other archaeologists dismiss Carter’s theories as impossible. 
Max Irons, son of actors Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack, featured in 2014 Bullingdon Club film The Riot Club. You might also recognised him for his starring role in BBC’s historical drama The White Queen, where he played Edward IV of England.

Sam Neill Plays Lord Carnarvon

Privileged heir and fast living gambler, Lord Carnarvon is Carter’s patron and the man who makes their extraordinary discovery possible. After a devastating car crash, Carnarvon is ordered to Egypt for his health. But he’s soon bored of seeing the sights and hears about archaeologists digging for treasure in the Valley...
Inspector Campbell in Peaky Blinders, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in The Tudors – Sam Neill has a thing for great British drama. Oh, and you might have seen him in a little something called Jurassic Park...
His long list of career credits also include The Hunt for The Red October and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (the man's a fan of hunting, apparently). He’s also due to appear in Thor: Ragnarok next year.

Amy Wren plays Lady Evelyn Carnarvon 

Carter meets Lord Carnarvon’s daughter Evelyn in Egypt when she’s just a teenage girl. It is Evelyn who plants the first seed in Carter’s head about the possibility of finding an intact royal tomb, forgotten by history.
When Carter meets Evelyn again, she’s no longer a girl. She’s blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Evelyn finds love with Carter: a forbidden love that crosses class boundaries, between two people who can’t possibly expect a future together.
You’ll have seen Amy Wren in series two and three of BBC’s barrister-based drama Silk as Bethany Brassington. She’s also appeared in Saxon/Viking series The Last Kingdom, Skins and true-story thriller film Uwantme2killhim?

Catherine Steadman plays Maggie Lewis 

Maggie is an American archaeologist and the only woman selected as part of the New York Metropolitan Museum’s dig team in Egypt. Maggie’s has put her career first, at the expense of her personal life.
Fans of Downton Abbey will recognise her as Mabel Lane Fox from series five, while she also featured in ITV medical drama Breathless. And you may also know her as Alison in Fresh Meat, and in The Inbetweeners as the care worker who goes on a date with Will during the Duke of Edinburgh episode.
Jonathan Aris plays Winlock
Winlock is the American Egyptologist from the Metropolitan Museum who’s a close friend to Howard Carter.
Aris has had roles in The Martian, Humans and The Night Manager, but he’ll be known to most as Anderson, the forensics officer in Sherlock. Aris will also be appearing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, out later this year.

Anthony Higgins plays Theodore Davis

Higgins plays Theodore Davis, an American lawyer who fought to get the Tutankhamun dig the green light.
Screen veteran Anthony Higgins has starred in Young Sherlock Holmes and Malice in Wonderland, alongside Danny Dyer.
Interestingly, Higgins also played Major Gobler, one of the Nazis who unearthed the Ark of the Covenant in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Let’s hope his Tutankhamun discovery is less face-melting.
 Rupert Vansittart plays Flinders Petrie 
Flinders Petrie was an English Egyptologist who taught Howard Carter during his studies.
Struggling to place his face? He was Yohn Royce in Game of Thrones and General Asquith (and Slitheen) in the first series of new Doctor Who with Christopher Eccleston. The character actor made his name as part of the original cast for ITV's Heartbeat, before going on to appear in Pride and Prejudice, Braveheart, Four Wedddings and a Funeral and many more.
 Vincent Grass plays Sir Gaston Maspero
Gaston Maspero was a French Egyptologist who had spent years studying the Great Sphinx of Giza.
French actor Vincent Grass is most well-known as Doctor Cornelius in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. He’s also starred in a long list of French film and TV shows.
Tutankhamun airs every Sunday at 9pm on ITV1