Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey

Joanna Lumley sets out to explore one of the most diverse and surprising countries in Europe, where much of western civilisation began. On her odyssey, Joanna encounters both the ancient and modern aspects of Greece, touching on how the origins of drama, democracy, science, philosophy and medicine can be found here, and how they have left an enduring legacy on the fabric of our everyday life.

Following in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks, she visits some of the most significant sites of their empire, exploring the history, gods, beliefs, myths and legends which hail from this profoundly significant chapter in European history. Delphi, Ancient Olympia, the Gates of Hades and Mount Olympus all feature within her travels. So too does the British influence on this land, from the occupation of Corfu to its connection with the most romantic of all poets, Lord Byron.

Joanna provides a glimpse of the diversity of cultures within Greece and provides an insight into the range of lifestyles existing there today. She meets Nana Mouskouri, the most famous of all Greek singers, who performs for Joanna at Epidaurus, and the flower-throwing hedonistic nightclub goers of Athens, as well as venturing off the beaten tourist trail to find the remote villagers of the Mani Peninsular who eek out a living from the land, cooking wild asparagus picked fresh from the hillside. She spends time with the shepherds of Crete whose forefathers helped defeat the Nazis, meets a rare breed of islanders who are continuing to speak with one another using an old language based on whistling, and she explores the remote border lands of Greece, home to established Muslim communities who grow tobacco to make a living.

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Episode 2

Greece's Borderlands

Joanna is travelling across the northern most regions of Greece, through an area that has been vastly influenced by the world around it, more so than anywhere else in the country. Her route is from the western Ionian island of Corfu to the turbulent eastern border it shares with Turkey and Bulgaria. It’s a frontier-land where foreign invasion and occupation have left a fascinating legacy.

The British ruled Corfu for 50 years. Joanna discovers how they left their mark with cricket, brass bands, ginger beer and the staunchest local anglophiles in “Kensington-on-sea”.

Crossing to the mainland, Joanna retraces the steps of another lover of Greece. Lord Byron’s inspirational journey through the western highlands by horseback became the stuff of legend and, just like the great poet, Joanna also gets caught in a ferocious rainstorm.

Travelling across a land shaped by generations of invading empires to its far eastern corner, Joanna discovers traditions and cultures inspired by their occupation.

Oil wrestling is still a big hit in one isolated community. Another Muslim village has largely remained hidden from the modern world for decades, only now do the youngsters think of leaving to work in the city and beyond. Joanna also joins young Greek army recruits on a border outpost to try to understand the pressure on the soldiers and their belief that Greece may still be invaded today.

On this journey, one place above all reveals more about this country’s turbulent history than any other. The port city of Kavala was subjected to a religious exchange of peoples. It was emptied of Muslims and the population replaced with immigrants from Turkey. 400,000 Greek Muslims left the region and 1million Turkish Christians took their place. She meets one of the last known survivors, Minas Zaxariadis, who reveals a dark secret.

Last edited: Monday, 3 October 2011