In this ITV play, a group of English expatriates finds their tranquil Mediterranean existence threatened by local political instability.
Jennifer (Denise Buckley) travels to a small Mediterranean island to stay with her father, Miles (Denholm Elliott), a former RAF Squadron Leader. She discovers he is part of a small, insular community of British expatriates, including the cynical Freddie (John Le Mesurier) and the anxious Jimmie (John Stratton). This collection of ex-military men and former colonial civil servants attempts to maintain a distinctly English way of life in the sun. Jennifer soon realises, however, that the tranquil surface of their existence is an illusion; their comfortable isolation is shattered by rising political tensions on the island which threaten their precarious position.
John Hale’s play uses the microcosm of an expatriate community to anatomise the decline of the British empire. The characters are positioned as relics: ex-military and ex-colonial figures marooned by history, attempting to preserve a way of life that no longer has a place in the world. The drama is constructed on the collision between this fading colonial mindset and the volatile politics of their host nation. While the premise offered a potent metaphor for imperial decline, the production had a strong cast but the script did suffer for its reliance on familiar character types. The direction by Mike Vardy drew committed performances from a distinguished company, led by Denholm Elliott as the weary patriarch of the adrift community.
Broadcast: ITV – Thames, 1 Episode, Tuesday, 31 October 1972
Written by: John Hale
Director: Mike Vardy
Producer: Kim Mills
Executive Producer: Lloyd Shirley
Story Editor: Marian Lloyd
Main Cast: Denholm Elliott (Miles), John Le Mesurier (Freddie), John Stratton (Jimmie), Denise Buckley (Jennifer), Jean Harvey (Ilse), Malya Woolf (Maria), Mike Pratt (Stanley), Alex Scott (Paul), Marc Urquhart (Nicholas)
