Shakespeare scholar Dr Islam Issa explores the story behind the two, very different accounts of Cleopatra he grew up knowing; one portraying a great politician who made Egypt one of the most powerful countries on the planet and the other painting her as a tragic Shakespearean heroine and seductress. In this programme, Dr Issa sets out to discover why history and literature have recorded two contradicting tales.
Cleopatra and Me: In Search of a Lost Queen airs on Monday 6th May on BBC Four at 10pm.