COSMIC CODE OR COINCIDENCE? Time to face the Chaser

The question of who built the ancient pyramids has baffled the experts, with some theorists convinced aliens are behind their mathematical brilliance. Now, TV quizmaster and former Rolls-Royce apprentice engineer Bradley Walsh thinks he's finally discovered the truth on a visit to Egypt

- Karen Rockett

HE'S the cheeky chappy quizmaster of The Chase whose acting prowess has won him roles in Doctor Who and Coronation Street but now Bradley Walsh is determined to show he's the ultimate chameleon by combining his engineering past with his secret passion, Egypt.

The 64-year-old presenter, actor, comic and former apprentice engineer at Rolls-Royce has turned his hand to serious documentary albeit with the occasional joke as he explores the North African country's "Cosmic Code" for the Sky History Channel.

The new three-part series, starting on Tuesday, debates whether the ancient Egyptians could have ever actually built the pyramids, and if they didn't, then who did? Wearing an Indiana Jones hat and humming the theme tune from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Bradley is determined to discover if aliens built the awe-inspiring ancient structures...as some conspiracy theorists believe.

"I'll be asking all the questions and we shall find out once and for all," he promises.

Bradley developed his "very long fascination" with the ancient engineering of Egypt's pyramids after beginning his working life at the Rolls-Royce's aircraft engine factory in Watford.

"It's an anomaly, an absolute cornucopia of ideas and fantasies. Via my engineering and technical drawing skills, I became fascinated by the pyramids," he explains.

"My interest all began with Cleopatra 7th that's Liz Taylor to you!"

He starts off with the premise that the construction feats of our ancient forebears could only have been possible with the participation of some "otherworldly" or extraterrestrial influence. And this reasoning comes courtesy of his little-known maths wizardry.

"I was good at trigonometry, I was really good at angles. I can see them. Mathematics is my thing. I realised that there was no way that the ancient Egyptians could have ever built those pyramids," he says.