Horizon: Hunt for the Aids Vaccine (BBC2): Ancient Egyptians: The Twins (C4): TWENTY years ago, it was announced the virus that was the probable cause of Aids had been identified.

A cure seemed just around the corner. It was stated publicly that a vaccine would be ready for testing in two years.

Ten million people have died of Aids since then. The facts and figures make gloomy reading. Every day, 15,000 people get infected with HIV and 8,000 die of Aids. To bring it to a more personal level, a young man in Botswana has an 80 per cent chance of getting Aids in his lifetime.

Despite the best efforts of doctors and scientists, an end to the deadly disease appears no nearer, with between 42 and 45 million people in the world with Aids or HIV.

The sense of frustration was all too evident and understandable in the Horizon documentary charting the efforts of six scientists to find a vaccine. It seemed so simple when they set out on their mission. They'd done it with smallpox, polio and other illnesses, so the idea of failure wasn't contemplated. Now they admit that there's little chance of success until they find out more about how the virus works.

If they can't prevent infection, how can they prevent disease?, they reason. As the HIV virus replicates and mutates so fast - as much as ten billion times in one person in one day - the importance of stopping it spreading was underlined.

A succession of doctors and professors tried to explain what they were trying to do with the aid of graphics and drawings, but there was little offered in the way of hope.

Back in the Ancient Egyptians, a history series that's more lavish and intelligent than many, it was the usual tale of betrayal, greed and murder. With a gory depiction of how to embalm a bull thrown in for good measure.

The Twins told the story of Tages and Taous. After their mother abandoned them and their father was murdered, the girls were plucked from poverty to be virgin priestesses. Not quite the same as being top of the charts, but not a bad living for a couple of young women.

As well as filling us in on ancient Egyptian history, the story provided a couple of spells for getting rid of unwanted husbands.

The instructions are simple enough. Take a mouse and drown it in some water, then make the man drink it. It will make him blind in both eyes.

Or, grind up the mouse's body with food and make him eat it. He will swell up and die.

But, please don't try them at home.

Published: 05/12/2003