A student of Egyptology - an academic discipline that is concerned with evidence of an ancient civilisation that once existed in the area now coincidentally within the modern geopolitical borders of the Arab Republic of Egypt - has reportedly developed an enthusiasm for modern Egyptian pop music, Egypt's national beer 'Stella' and the novels of Egyptian Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. Neil Holdsworth, in the third year of his undergraduate degree at Swansea, and described by his few friends there as a 'rather serious' young man and 'not a good mixer' has visited Egypt three times, most recently as a component of his degree course. It was after this last visit that his friends noticed what they described as an 'unlikely' and 'unnatural' appreciation for aspects of modern Egyptian culture. 'It's like he's desperate to like all Egyptian things just because he's interested in ancient Egypt', reported one friend. 'I mean, have you tried reading Naguib Mahfouz? Or drinking Egyptian beer? I know one thing: both of them'll give you a headache'. According to another close friend, Holdsworth's enthusiasm for all things Egyptian has apparently been carried on into the 48 weeks (92%) of every year that he does not spend there. 'He plays Egyptian pop music all the time in his car - this one tape over and over that he got at some market. And he tells us how much in English money a pint of beer costs in Egypt so often that we've started calling him '50p Neil' behind his back.'

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