| The Lotus Eaters | |
|---|---|
Opening titles |
|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Michael J. Bird |
| Directed by | Cyril Coke, Douglas Camfield, David Cunliffe and Viktors Ritelis |
| Starring | Ian Hendry, Wanda Ventham, Stefan Gryff, Anthony Stamboulieh and Maurice Denham |
| Theme music composer | Stavros Xarhakos |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Anthony Read (Series One) Michael Glynn (Series Two) |
| Location(s) | Agios Nikolaos, Crete |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC2 |
| Original run | 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 expats 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.
The haunting Greek piece composed by Stavros Xarhakos 'Ta Trena Pou Fyghan' (The Trains That Have Departed). From the album 'Hellespont'. Columbia SX.6135.