Bradley Walsh thought he was ‘going to prove the pyramids were built by aliens'
Bradley Walsh says he thought he was 'going to prove' that the pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens before investigating the conspiracy theory as part of a new show.
The presenter, 64, known for The Chase and Gladiators, has always been interested in the tomb structures at Giza since he was child as his teacher was the great-niece of Howard Carter, who found Tutankhamun's tomb.
As part of the Sky History programme Bradley Walsh: Egypt's Cosmic Code, he travelled to the country after hearing 'this rumour that the pyramids weren't built by Ancient Egyptians at all', and 'they were built by a race that had either died out prior to 4,500 years ago, or they were built by someone or something else'.
Walsh added: 'Prior to arriving in Egypt, I'm thinking: this is going be great, I'm going to prove this is the aliens.
' People say I'm a conspiracy theorist. I'm not. All I did was say: 'It could be this,' and I needed to find out what is the truth.'
Walsh said that, being there, 'you then realise it's very difficult to take on board that anyone else other than 'the Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids''.
'The great thing about the Great Pyramid is they started building the pyramids about 150 years prior to that one,' he said.
'My expert guides, Meredith and Arto, showed me where the beginnings of the pyramids were about 150 years prior to the Grand Pyramid.
'If you went there, you see the evolution of the pyramids – one's wonky, one's drooping on one side, it's all trial and error.'
Walsh also appeared to suggest that being inside the Great Pyramid made him stop believing that it could generate electricity.
He said: 'Being so deep inside the pyramid, I was expecting a lot of noise. I've maintained that I think the Great Pyramid is some kind of power plant in its own right.'
Walsh also said that it was 'mind-blowing being there', and finding out that the final ruler of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, lover of Mark Antony and Julius Caesar, died closer to the modern era than the beginning of the Ancient Egypt.
He said: 'You can go online and get a load of speculative information from people that have never even been there, they've got it from a book or somewhere else online, and you know how dangerous the web can be in terms of misinformation.
'Well, if you are interested in the pyramids, hopefully people will watch this and go and see it for themselves. I hope they do because it certainly broadens the mind – it also narrows it, to a certain extent, in that you can see all the real information laid out in front of you.'
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built more than 4,600 years ago to house Khufu, a king from Egypt's 4th dynasty.
The Egyptian Government has previously invited people who do not believe their ancestors built the pyramids to the north-east African country to learn the story of the impressive structures.
In 2020, the then-minister of international co-operation Rania al-Mashat told South African businessman Elon Musk that she is 'waiting for' him to visit the pyramids after he wrote on X: 'Aliens built the pyramids (obviously).'
Ms al-Mashat also said: 'I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you and Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders.
'Mr Musk, we are waiting for you.'
Tech billionaire Mr Musk, who bought Twitter/X in 2022, later pointed to a 'sensible summary for how' the structures were built, which explained that archaeological evidence shows that there were villages made to house workers constructing the pyramids, and went into detail about the human evidence.
Bradley Walsh: Egypt's Cosmic Code airs on March 18 at 9pm on Sky History.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Wales to benefit from major UK Government investment
A UK Government investment aims to accelerate growth in research, development, and emerging technologies across the country. Jo Stevens, Secretary of State for Wales, said: "Wales is home to a growing tech sector and this significant investment from the UK Government will help it develop and expand even further. "As we deliver our Plan for Change we are investing in innovation and research, creating more opportunities in the industries of the future and driving economic growth across Wales and the UK." Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce the investment as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The funding will support the government's strategy to strengthen the economy, improve public services, and deliver long-term prosperity.
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
Wildlife declining in UK woods despite more tree cover, study finds
The paper, published by the Woodland Trust on Tuesday, found the quantity and variety of wildlife is plummeting despite a marginal rise in tree cover. This is due to the deteriorating ecological condition within UK woodlands, the environmental group said. Abigail Bunker, director of conservation and external affairs at the Woodland Trust, said findings show the UK's 'once rich, complex woodlands have become simpler and less biodiverse over time'. While woodland cover has increased from 13.2% of UK land area in 2020 to 13.5% in 2024, just 45% of the Government's woodland creation targets have been met by the UK over those years, the report said. To hit the UK's net zero targets, the authors cited the Climate Change Committee's assessment that current tree planting rates need to double by the end of this decade. A woodland creation project at Rottal Burn in Scotland. (Woodland Trust/John MacPherson) Pulling together a range of different scientific studies, the report outlines findings that point towards a significant loss in woodland wildlife in recent decades. These includes a 47% decline in butterflies between 1990 and 2022, as well as a 37% reduction in the number of woodland birds in the past 50 years, and 15% in the past five. The population of dormice in surveyed woodland fell by 70% between 2000 and 2022, and the richness of different plant species has reduced by 22% over the past 50 years, more research found. And only one in 50 native woodlands were found to have more than one veteran tree per 200,000 metres squared, which are especially valuable to wildlife thanks to their damage and decay features that provide food and habitat. Hazel Dormouse hibernating amongst leaves and acorns in Leicestershire (Woodland Trust/Danny Green) While approximately one quarter of all forest species depend on deadwood for their lifecycles, almost half (46%) have no deadwood at all, it was also found. Ms Bunker said: 'UK woodlands lack open spaces, such as glades, which allow light to reach the forest floor and young trees to grow. 'There are also fewer older trees, which, along with their soils, lock in carbon from the atmosphere. Alarmingly, many British woodlands have very few – if any – ancient and veteran trees left.' Other threats identified in the paper include 121 different species of pests which have been introduced to UK native trees, many from the international plant trade. The report predicts that climate change will allow these, and potentially other pest species to further thrive, to the detriment of British trees, with the UK spending an estimated £919.9 million per year managing only six of these pests. A Fritillary Butterfly. (Woodland Trust/John Bridges) The Woodland Trust also warned that healthy woodlands are key to UK plans for tackling and mitigating the effects of climate change, such as flooding and sequestering carbon. Sensitive management of woodlands can help to make them more resilient to the escalating suite of threats, it added. Elsewhere, the report focused on the impact woodlands have on wellbeing and communities. It highlighted poll findings that suggest nine in 10 people agree woodland biodiversity has a positive impact through features such birdsong or the sound of rustling leaves. The richest woodlands for wellbeing were also found to be very unevenly distributed across the UK, with lower value woodlands found in more deprived areas Laura Chow, head of charities at People's Postcode Lottery – whose players supported the report, said: 'Trees and woodlands are a huge part of our nation's wellbeing and heritage, so it's fantastic our players were able to support this important report, which uses such a breadth of scientific evidence to reveal what we need to do to ensure UK woodlands survive and thrive for people and nature.' Urban canopy cover in Sheffield (Woodland Trust/James Reader) Ms Bunker said: 'We are calling on the Government and others to invest in the management of our woodlands, so that people and wildlife can experience the benefits of these precious ecosystems, particularly in mitigating the effects of climate change. 'It's also vital that the government start hitting their tree-planting targets, so that there is time to grow the veteran trees of the future and help shape woodlands to better withstand challenges like new diseases, or rising temperatures.' An Environment Department (Defra) spokesperson said: 'Trees are at the forefront of our plans to reduce emissions and help reverse biodiversity loss. 'This Government is investing up to £400 million in tree planting and peatland restoration over the next two years, and have announced the Western Forest as the first new National Forest in 30 years. 'We're also taking action to bring more existing woodlands into sustainable management, helping to restore nature-rich habitats and support wildlife.'
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
Geologists unveil UK ‘super regions' with best potential for transition projects
The findings, published by the British Geological Survey (BGS), show the UK has an incredibly diverse subsurface, which can play a key role in supporting efforts to reach the country's legally binding climate goals. Many areas have geology that is well suited to certain net zero technologies, including shallow geothermal installations or critical minerals occurrences. But BGS scientists say eight super regions contain subsurface formations and conditions that are favourable to multiple different technologies within a relatively small area. These are Northern Ireland, the Scottish Central Belt, north-east England, north-west England, the South Yorkshire and Humber region, the East Midlands and East Anglia, South Wales and south-west England. Here, the subsurfaces can provide a sustainable heat source for geothermal energy, geological formations for secure storage of energy and carbon dioxide (CO2), rocks containing important resources for mineral extraction, and suitable geological foundation conditions for onshore and offshore wind infrastructure projects, the scientists said. For example, south-west England has significant deep geothermal resources offering opportunities for sustainable heat and power generation while its sedimentary basins provide potential sites for CCS and energy storage, they added. Meanwhile, the Scottish Central Belt boasts a complex geology, including sedimentary reservoir rocks and significant igneous intrusions, abundant geothermal resources, abandoned coal mines and a legacy of subsurface data, they said. The BGS said its findings offer crucial insights and a road map for decision makers, ministers and land managers looking to maximise return on investment in the energy transition. The geologists assessed that strategic spatial planning for such technologies in these areas can help unlock an estimated £40 billion of annual investment and support the Government's target of creating 650,000 jobs through renewable energy by 2030. But they added that further investigation will be required to fully establish each of the super region's true potential, ensure safe deployment of each technology, and understand environmental impact. Michelle Bentham, BGS chief scientist for decarbonisation and resource management, said: 'The UK is incredibly diverse in its geology. 'Because it's out of sight, geology gets a little bit forgotten about. 'And I don't think people realise how blessed we are in the UK, if you like, in terms of the geology that could really help us have a sustainable future. 'But you can really see the difference that geology could make to reaching Government goals in terms of net zero, energy provision, clean energy.' Ms Bentham said funding and the policy landscape may have been barriers to rolling out technologies such as CCS and geothermal energy across the UK. 'In Europe, geothermal energy is used much more widely. In the UK, we don't use it as widely and it's always been a bit of a Cinderella of clean energy technologies,' she said. 'And in the North Sea, we could potentially become a hub for carbon storage in Europe for countries that don't have the right geology who are trying to decarbonise,' she added. The BGS contributed to the consultation on the Government's upcoming land use framework, which looks at how England's finite land can meet the escalating demands of food security, clean energy, nature restoration and new homes. But the framework is focusing more on surface demands, with some scope for shallow subsurface areas such as geothermal infrastructure. Ms Bentham said strategic spatial planning for the subsurface could also help optimise the UK's resources for the energy transition. For example, it could stop decision makers from locking into one technology – such as wind farms or CCS – in one area where another could have yielded more benefits, or where multiple technologies could have been deployed. 'Like the map, it's not one technology that's going to be the answer,' she said. 'That's why we need this combination to give us flexibility.' The BGS highlighted that the data underpinning its research has been shaped by geologists' current understanding of the subsurface, adding that a few parts of the country have been less extensively surveyed than others, and more research is required to fully assess their potential.
