Lost Queen

Betty Harris' The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul collects together the steady stream of amazing soul and funk singles issued by Betty Harris from 1964 to 1969, under the musical guidance of legendary composer, musician and producer extraordinaire Allen Toussaint, a collection which truly captures the heart and soul of the city of New Orleans during this era.

More powerful than Cleopatra or Nefertiti, Hatshepsut was once Egypt's greatest female ruler. In one of the strangest stories of ancient history, Queen Hatshepsut stole the throne from her young stepson, dressed herself as a man with a beard, and called herself pharaoh. Her power was absolute across Egypt… and then she vanished. Not only did she die mysteriously, someone systematically erased every sign of her existence: her name was chiseled from records, and her monuments were pulled down. Even her corpse is gone. For years, Egypt's pre-eminent archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, has been on the trail of this mystery.

Was Cleopatra a seductress or a great politician? Shakespeare scholar Dr Islam Issa grew up in Birmingham with his Egyptian-born parents. As a child he was taught Cleopatra was a great politician, who turned her capital, Alexandria, into a global seat of learning and made Egypt one of the most powerful countries on the planet. But as a teenager, he realised she had a very different reputation in Britain - either a tragic Shakespearian heroine or a seductress, portrayed by screen sirens like Elizabeth Taylor. In this programme, Dr Issa sets out to discover the story behind these two, very different, Cleopatras.

An enthralling and vivid portrait of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, that reveals her forgotten place in history.

"Stunning collection of deep soul and heavyweight funk from BETTY HARRIS. 17 songs written and produced by ALLEN TOUSSAINT and featuring THE METERS, all originally recorded in New Orleans between 1964-69."