A cradle of civilisation, the Greeks of the ancient world hothoused everything from democracy to medicine. A Greek Odyssey with Bettany Hughes, Channel 5 2020
Odysseus: a legendary warrior whose cunning won the Trojan war. After the victory there begins a long journey home to the far west of Greece across these seas. His story – The Odyssey – is a brilliant tale of triumph over adversity and danger, inspiring books, movies and adventures. ibid.
A place full of mystery and wonder and tens of thousands of years of history and human experience. A Greek Odyssey with Bettany Hughes II
I’m following the trail of Odysseus who we’re told journeyed from the battlefields of Troy in what’s now Turkey back home to the Island of Ithaca in the far west of Greece. ibid.
Delos: ruins right across this island – it’s Greece’s greatest outdoor archaeological museum. ibid.
Santorini – Thera to the ancient Greeks – where I discover the island’s deadly volcano and the story of the lost city of Atlantis. The most southern of the Aegean Cycladic islands, it’s a place of myth, fire and brimstone. A Greek Odyssey with Bettany Hughes III
An entire prehistoric civilisation dating back over 3,600 years. The terrible thing is the people here did have foreknowledge of the disaster. ibid.
My voyage takes me to the largest island in Greece … In ancient history Crete was a superpower. In myth it was famous birthplace of gods and myths. A Greek Odyssey with Bettany Hughes IV
Knossos: this is a huge palace that covers over six acres … There are images of bulls everywhere here … Crete is home to of the most famous legends of all time: the Minotaur, half-man, half-bull. ibid.
Peloponnese: a peninsula connected to the Greek mainland by bridges over a 6km canal … Home to one of the greatest Bronze-Age civilisations – the Mycenaeans. A Greek Odyssey with Bettany Hughes V
Known for producing some of history’s toughest fighters from the warrior heroes of the Bronze-Age Greeks about three and half thousand years ago to the ancient Spartans who dominated this wild landscape a thousand years later. ibid.
Corfu: Odysseus’s arrival here is super-dramatic … [Poseidon] has made Odysseus’ life completely miserable. A Greek Odyssey with Bettany Hughes VI
Corfu became a British protectorate leaving monuments all over the island … Odysseus described this island as Heaven on Earth. ibid.
Ithaca: Odysseus goes under cover. Only the dog Argos, his faithful pet, recognises him. Odysseus was right to be wary: at home all is not well. ibid.
The sun rises on Japan. More than six thousand islands on the edge of the Pacific. Life here is at the mercy of Earth's most powerful elemental forces. Japan: Earth’s Enchanted Islands, BBC 2015
These islands remain wild, mysterious and magical. ibid.
Japan’s great chain of islands stretches for two thousand miles. Right in the middle is its biggest island – Honshu. ibid.
Tokyo – home to over thirty-five million people. ibid.
Macaques: they’re not just here for a bath, they’re are on to a good thing. ibid.
The further South you go the stranger life seems to become. Japan: Earth’s Enchanted Islands II: The Southwest Island
It has eighteen active volcanoes. ibid.
The northernmost frontier – this island endures a brutal winter that locks the land in snow and ice. Japan: Earth’s Enchanted Islands III: Hokkaido
Just outside Mexico City to an island overrun with – dolls? … ‘Over four thousand mutilated dolls tied to the fences, the tress and spread around everywhere on this island.’ The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd I: Strange Places, History 2024
‘An island inhabited by the most venomous snake in the world, and lots of them.’ ibid.
For thousands of backpackers travelling to Thailand is a rite of passage. Chrissie Annesley was one of them … Koh Tao: a remote island of just eight square miles. Death on The Beach I, Sky Crime 2024
‘People came here in their thousands. It’s a hotspot for a party scene.’ ibid.
The island’s darker side … The dangers can come from locals and tourists. ibid.
‘I was worried about Koh Tao because it was only four months after two [Hannah Witheridge & David Miller] British backpackers had been murdered.’ ibid. Chrisssie’s dad
‘All of a sudden it was a global news story … I started to report what happened.’ ibid. ex-resident & campaigner Sue
Following Chrissie’s death the Thai authorities conducted an autopsy: Respiratory and circulatory system failure due to consumption of narcotics together with various types of medicines and alcohol drinks. ibid.
‘The police are completely out of their depth.’ ibid.
‘There was hundreds of people running through the crime scene taking pictures …’ ibid. UK reporter
Bloodbath in Paradise. ibid. UK front page
‘The atmosphere on the island following David’ and Hannah’s murders increasingly got worst … trying to intimidate us.’ ibid. UK reporter
‘There are bigger forces at play on this island.’ ibid. ex-resident & campaigner Sue
‘Someone came up to him [local], pulled out a gun and blew his brains out.’ ibid. alleged gambling debt
‘The word on the streets was that the Tuwichian family were involved. From that I understand they are the most powerful family on the island.’ ibid.
‘There were other deaths on Koh Toa unexplained … It’s left to us the parents.’ ibid. Chrissie’s dad
He [Chrissie’s dad] discovered more and more unexplained deaths. Death on the Beach II
2000: 36-year-old Ian Jacobs from Birmingham headed out to Koh Toa for a diving holiday … ibid.
‘There’s a ferry leaving in the morning; you need to be on it.’ ibid. rozzer to Ian’s dad
Social media erupted with speculation. ibid.
Here was a man saying, ‘I’ve got the money. I’ve got the power. Don’t mess with me.’ ibid. UK reporter
‘If you ever want to find yourself suspiciously dead in Koh Toa, the good thing to do is to go around asking questions.’ ibid.
‘I didn’t have a hope in hell for them [Zaw Lin & Wai Phyo]. I knew where this was going to go.’ ibid. ex-resident & campaigner Sue
‘Witnesses had been intimidated.’ ibid. UK reporter
I have found someone who said that’s not true. I am determined to get to the bottom of this. Death on the Beach III, Chrissie’s dad
Ben Harrington: They told me that Ben had had an accident on his moped … ‘He was missing his watch and his wallet.’ ibid. Ben’s mum
‘I started getting messages from other families saying that their sons and daughters died on that same island.’ ibid.
‘My best guess is that it was a bungled mugging.’ ibid. ex-resident & campaigner Sue re Ben