The Lotus Eaters: Series 1 (3 Discs) (BBC)

Through its idyllic sun drenched Crete island locale and regular characters frequenting Shepherd's bar it initially appears that this will be a fairly routine holiday soap opera. But scratch below the surface and its unique appealing qualities are easily apparent. Undoubtedly a key strength are lead actors Ian Hendry & Wanda Ventham whom bring a believable, convincing resonance to their intriguing characters, something that certainly helps to elevate this classic series quite considerably. Admirable season open 'Cold Wind From The North' hints at their past with brief b&w flashback moments. The 3rd & 4th stories are definitely the strongest for me. In the former ('And Hera Had a Sister') the inherent paranoia stalking the Shepherd's bar owners and patrons is admirably sustained with an audacious surprise ending. 4th offering 'A Touch of Home' starts routinely enough but its ending I found particularly upsetting and disturbing. On the lighter side the regular character of Nestor… more »

Through its idyllic sun drenched Crete island locale and regular characters frequenting Shepherd's bar it initially appears that this will be a fairly routine holiday soap opera. But scratch below the surface and its unique appealing qualities are easily apparent. Undoubtedly a key strength are lead actors Ian Hendry & Wanda Ventham whom bring a believable, convincing resonance to their intriguing characters, something that certainly helps to elevate this classic series quite considerably. Admirable season open 'Cold Wind From The North' hints at their past with brief b&w flashback moments. The 3rd & 4th stories are definitely the strongest for me. In the former ('And Hera Had a Sister') the inherent paranoia stalking the Shepherd's bar owners and patrons is admirably sustained with an audacious surprise ending. 4th offering 'A Touch of Home' starts routinely enough but its ending I found particularly upsetting and disturbing. On the lighter side the regular character of Nestor Turton (Maurice Denham in fine form) adds immeasurably to (ep.6) 'A Tiger in Bristol Street', an enjoyable tale of avarice and deception. The character trait shift of local hippies Mark & Kirsten and visiting Philip & Leigh Mervish make (ep.7) 'The Fascinating Couple' an intriguingly engaging premise. For me praise is due to young actress Anouska Hempel for admirably enhancing to the dramatic appeal of (ep.8) 'You Might Get Hurt, Jocasta'. For me I view (ep.2) 'The Present Mrs Clive' as a tad muted offering with a great 'sting in the tale ending' and (ep.5) 'Aphrodite' as a rather weak premise and mostly forgettable. (ep.9) 'The Climbing Wave' offers a satisfying season finale effectively blending the joyful local festivities with traumatic developments in the Shepherd's lives. Aside from the 19 image photo gallery and 16 colour page 'viewing notes' booklet, the main special feature item is an 'exclusive interview' with series lead actress Wanda Ventham. At only 7 mins there's obviously little depth in her series recollections however there is worthy praise for her co-star Ian Hendry and (season 2) director Viktos Ritelis. In my opinion I feel that this series stand up very well today due to dramatically engaging scripts, worthy cast performances, convincing lighting/set designs and the combination of pleasing location filming and authentic incidental music.