The Lotus Eaters (TV series)
| The Lotus Eaters | |
|---|---|
 Opening titles | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Michael J. Bird |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Stavros Xarhakos |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Anthony Read (Series One) Michael Glynn (Series Two) |
| Location(s) | Agios Nikolaos, Crete |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC2 |
| Original release | 23 April 1972 – 12 August 1973 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Who Pays the Ferryman? |
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 expatriates 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".
Ann is revealed in the first episode to be a sleeper agent of British Intelligence, Erik having been a broken-down drunk whom she was made to marry as part of her cover story. Other episodes dealt with the other expats who frequented the bar. The most intriguing character in both series is the Greek police captain, Michael Krasakis (Stefan Gryff). In the second series the British Intelligence aspect is developed, until a clash with Soviet and Chinese agents results in both Ann and Erik having to leave Crete. In the final scene, about to board a plane leaving Heraklion airport, they have a partial reconciliation, since each is the only person the other can trust.
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.
Theme Tune
The haunting Greek piece used as the series' theme is Ta Trena Pou Fyghan ("The Trains That Departed"), from the album Hellespont, composed by Stavros Xarchakos (Columbia SX.6135).
