MUMBAI: Towering over cities and landscapes, six unofficial national symbols get a makeover. Watch as Big Ben, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Santiago de Compostela, the Bund and the Taj Mahal are restored to their full splendour in this series, Monumental Challenge on Sony BBC Earth starting 23 October 2017, Mon-Fri at 8 pm.

In this series, viewers will have access inside these monuments and get to meet the army of people who keep these landmarks in tip-top condition. These include emergency repair workers, expansion visionaries, and event planners for VIP clients. Combining stunning footage, impressive CGI, riveting historical background and lots of lively characters, Monumental Challenge gives fresh insight into the worlds' most iconic landmarks - revealing the highs and lows of making these monuments great again.

The series has a special episode featuring the seventh wonder of the world, the mystic Taj Mahal in India. The herculean task at hand is to give a facelift to this 400-year-old monument. This is a 21st century story about a 17th century fairy tale palace in a state of disrepair where the heroes are scientists and archaeologists who face daily battles against modern day evils - acid rain and marble cancer, diesel fumes and other poisonous gases - eating away at its 400-year old walls. Is this a challenge just too monumental or do these behind the scene magicians work their wand through all the despair?