The Lotus Eaters

The Lotus Eaters is a BBC television drama first broadcast in 1972 and 1973. The series, written by Michael J. Bird, deals with the lives of British expatriates living on the island of Crete, and their reasons for being there. Plot The central characters are a married couple, Erik (Ian Hendry) and Ann Shepherd (Wanda Ventham), who run 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 deal with the other expatriates 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.