The Dark Side of the Sun (TV serial)
Encyclopedia
The Dark Side of the Sun is a television
serial written by Michael J. Bird
and produced by the BBC
in 1983.
The serial was the last in an unofficial quartet of serials written by Bird and set in the Mediterranean. The previous three were The Lotus Eaters, Who Pays the Ferryman?
and The Aphrodite Inheritance
.
The Dark Side of the Sun takes place on the Greek
island of Rhodes
. The story combines elements of supernatural Gothic romance
with the contemporary conspiracy thriller. There are themes of telepathy
and hypnosis
, and a secret society, descended from the Knights Templar
, holding clandestine meetings on the island.
The historical back-story is linked to the suppression of the Templars, and seems also loosely inspired by the overthrow of Foulques de Villaret
, 25th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
. His former stronghold at Lindos
was one of the main filming locations. The Templar conspiracy theory element in the modern plot-line shows some influences from The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
, which had been published the previous year.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
serial written by Michael J. Bird
Michael J. Bird
Michael J. Bird was an English writer.In addition to several novels, he was perhaps best known for the television dramas he wrote for the BBC...
and produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1983.
The serial was the last in an unofficial quartet of serials written by Bird and set in the Mediterranean. The previous three were The Lotus Eaters, Who Pays the Ferryman?
Who Pays the Ferryman?
Who Pays the Ferryman? was a television series produced by the BBC in 1977. The title of the series refers to the ancient religious belief and mythology of Charon the ferryman to Hades...
and The Aphrodite Inheritance
The Aphrodite Inheritance
The Aphrodite Inheritance is a television production made by the BBC in 1978 and which aired in 1979.The eight-part serial, written by Michael J. Bird, was a follow-up to the success of his previous two Mediterranean-set series The Lotus Eaters and Who Pays the Ferryman?...
.
The Dark Side of the Sun takes place on the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
. The story combines elements of supernatural Gothic romance
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
with the contemporary conspiracy thriller. There are themes of telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
and hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, and a secret society, descended from the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, holding clandestine meetings on the island.
The historical back-story is linked to the suppression of the Templars, and seems also loosely inspired by the overthrow of Foulques de Villaret
Foulques de Villaret
Foulques de Villaret , a native of Languedoc-Roussillon, France, was the 25th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, succeeding his paternal uncle Guillaume de Villaret in 1305. His uncle had done much to foster his early career in the Order...
, 25th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
. His former stronghold at Lindos
Lindos
Lindos is an archaeological site, a town and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies on the east coast of the island...
was one of the main filming locations. The Templar conspiracy theory element in the modern plot-line shows some influences from The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail is a book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln....
, which had been published the previous year.
Main cast
- Peter EganPeter EganPeter Egan is a British actor known for playing smooth neighbour Paul Ryman in 1980s sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles. He is married to retired actress Myra Frances.-Early life:...
as Raoul Lavallière - Patrick MowerPatrick MowerPatrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
as Don Tierney - Emily RichardEmily RichardEmily Richard is a British actress and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.One of three sisters, Richard attended drama school in London in 1966 aged 18, but she was asked to leave after a year as she was "too timid". She then sold programmes in theatres in London's West End...
as Anne Tierney - Betty ArvanitiBetty ArvanitiBetty Arvaniti is a Greek actress. She appeared in 40 films and television shows between 1965 and 2002.-Selected filmography:* Istoria mias zois * Anthropos yia oles tis doulies * Imperiale...
as Ismini Christoyannis - Christopher Scoular as David Bascombe
- Michael SheardMichael SheardMichael Sheard was a Scottish actor who featured in a large number of films and television programmes.-Early life:...
as Colonel von Reitz