Airdate: The Real Lawrence of Arabia

History doco The Real Lawrence of Arabia screens this Sunday on SBS.

The real Lawrence of Arabia is a man called Thomas Edward Lawrence, a British Intelligence Officer whose daring raids in World War I made him a legend. But who really was the man known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and how is it he came to lead a small army of Arabs to defeat the Turks – the fourth largest army in the world?

The Real Lawrence of Arabia reveals the man behind the myth. With captivating expert interviews and an array of archive from ITN’s archives, movies, diaries, letters and press from the time, we’ll bring to life this intensely personal drama. We’ll also use the words of T. E. Lawrence’s war memoirs ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ in which he documented his great adventures. The story of T.E. Lawrence is the ultimate story of courage and guilt, betrayal and triumph.

From his early years growing up in rural Wales, we’ll chart how Lawrence went from Oxford archaeology student in Oxford to fighting alongside Arab guerrilla forces in the Middle East during the Arab Revolt. We’ll also explain how Lawrence’s role in unifying the Arab tribes against the Turks set in motion a chain of events that he was powerless to stop. Events that even today, profoundly shape Arab-Western relations.

Sunday, 29 August at 9.30pm on SBS.