This historical docu-drama uses dramatic reconstruction to explore the Minoan civilization and its connection to the Atlantis myth.
Narrated by the Storyteller (Tom Conti), this programme reconstructs the final days of the Minoan civilization on the island of Thera. The narrative is built around the lives of a small group of characters: a young couple, Pinaruti (Stephanie Leonidas) and Yishharu (Reece Ritchie), whose lives are thrown into chaos by political intrigue and a looming natural disaster. Their story unfolds under the watchful eye of the warrior Rusa (Langley Kirkwood) and the priestess Ariad (Natalie Becker), as their society faces the cataclysmic eruption of the island’s volcano.
An ambitious international co-production, this one-off special sought to ground the legend of Atlantis in archaeological fact. The script, by Rhidian Brook, was developed with a team of historical consultants to ensure its depiction of Minoan culture was as accurate as possible. Rather than adopting a traditional documentary format, the production functions as a complete historical drama. The programme uses the personal stories of its fictional characters as a vehicle to explain the scientific theories connecting the destruction of the Minoan civilization with Plato’s account of Atlantis. It is a work of speculative history, presented with the scale and structure of a feature film.
Broadcast: BBC One, 1 Episode, 8 May 2011
Written by: Rhidian Brook
Director: Tony Mitchell
Producer: Detlef Siebert
Executive Producers: Michael Mosley, Ailsa Orr
Music: Ty Unwin
Main Cast: Tom Conti (Narrator), Stephanie Leonidas (Pinaruti), Reece Ritchie (Yishharu), Langley Kirkwood (Rusa), Isadora Verwey (Bansabira), Natalie Becker (Ariad), Tony Caprari (Yidini)
