THE advance of the “celebrity” presenter continues. That’s when familiar faces known for one thing are to be found fronting programmes about something completely different.

Margaret Mountford is best known as one of Lord Sugar’s right-hand women in The Apprentice. Now she presents the drama documentary Pompeii: The Mystery Of The People Frozen In Time.

The role isn’t entirely alien to her as she has a keen interest in ancient history.

She even stepped down from her role in The Apprentice to finish her PhD in papyrology.

Now, she is sharing her enthusiasm in this one-off documentary, in which she investigates the events of 79AD, when a volcanic disaster left the citizens of Pompeii preserved in ashes.

The frozen bodies have long held a unique fascination, and this is hardly the first documentary to visit the city. However, it is the first time the BBC has been granted unique access to the ghost-like body casts.

Mountford and her team make the most of the opportunity by using the latest forensic technology to peer beneath the plaster and rebuild the faces of two of the victims.

She will turn detective to tell a new story at the heart of one of history’s most famous moments by looking at the unique set of circumstances that led to the remarkable preservation of the people of Pompeii.

By applying modern forensic analysis to this age-old mystery, she will hopefully dispel the myths surrounding the events in 79AD. She will also explore the lives of the individuals who once lived in this vibrant and enigmatic city, as well as recreating the last moments of the people caught up in the tragedy.