The Lotus Eaters (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Lotus Eaters is a BBC television drama
made between 1972 and 1973.
The series, written by Michael J. Bird
, dealt with the lives of various British ex-pats living on the island of Crete
and their reasons for being there. The central characters were a married couple, Erik (Ian Hendry
) and Ann Shepherd (Wanda Ventham
) who ran a tavern called "Shepherd's Bar".
The Lotus Eaters was filmed in the Cretan resort of Aghios Nikolaos
and derived its title from the Lotus Eaters of Greek mythology
, where those who ate the fruit of the Lotus tree
lost the desire to return home.
The series was also the first of the Mediterranean based dramas written by Michael J. Bird for the BBC. The others included Who Pays the Ferryman?
, also set in Crete, The Aphrodite Inheritance
set in Cyprus
and The Dark Side of the Sun set in Rhodes
.
BBC television drama
BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom...
made between 1972 and 1973.
The series, written by Michael J. Bird
Michael J. Bird
Michael J. Bird was an English writer.In addition to several novels, he was perhaps best known for the television dramas he wrote for the BBC...
, dealt with the lives of various British ex-pats living on the island of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and their reasons for being there. The central characters were a married couple, Erik (Ian Hendry
Ian Hendry
Ian Hendry was an English film and television actor. He is best known for his work on several British TV series of the early 1960s such as The Avengers, and for his roles in 1970s films such as Get Carter .-Career:Hendry was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and educated at Culford School...
) and Ann Shepherd (Wanda Ventham
Wanda Ventham
Wanda Ventham is an English actress, mainly on television. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama....
) who ran a tavern called "Shepherd's Bar".
The Lotus Eaters was filmed in the Cretan resort of Aghios Nikolaos
Agios Nikolaos, Crete
Agios Nikolaos is a coastal town on the Greek island of Crete, lying east of the island's capital Heraklion, north of the town of Ierapetra and west of the town of Sitia. In the year 2000, the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, which takes in part of the surrounding villages, claimed around 19,000...
and derived its title from the Lotus Eaters of Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, where those who ate the fruit of the Lotus tree
Lotus tree
The lotus tree is a plant that occurs in two stories from Greek mythology:* In Homer's Odyssey, the lotus bore a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness and was the only food of an island people called the Lotophagi or Lotus-eaters...
lost the desire to return home.
The series was also the first of the Mediterranean based dramas written by Michael J. Bird for the BBC. The others included Who Pays the Ferryman?
Who Pays the Ferryman?
Who Pays the Ferryman? was a television series produced by the BBC in 1977. The title of the series refers to the ancient religious belief and mythology of Charon the ferryman to Hades...
, also set in Crete, The Aphrodite Inheritance
The Aphrodite Inheritance
The Aphrodite Inheritance is a television production made by the BBC in 1978 and which aired in 1979.The eight-part serial, written by Michael J. Bird, was a follow-up to the success of his previous two Mediterranean-set series The Lotus Eaters and Who Pays the Ferryman?...
set in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and The Dark Side of the Sun set in Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
.