San Stefanos on TV - Thursday 11th Oct - ITV1

[sunshinegirl]

Rover - totally agree with you we watched it also and thought exactly the same!

[diane13]

Me too - totally agree

[lizzie]

   Ahhhh! at last someone sees what i see .

   This is not life in Corfu - the poser who wanted to pull down the "stick" on his balcony.
   Does he know how stupid he is and the stupid woman who wanted to puts English marks on property.
   Go home------------------
    I watched the first promo and 5 mins of the second and will not be watching more.   

[Jimbo]

I'm a bit tired - just got back from Agios Stephanos after nearly a month - and watched last night's episode. I have a few issues with prior comments!

What you're seeing ARE aspects of Corfu. It's daft to wish that you didn't have the rich and boring over on the east side and the tribute lady in Sidari, but that's the way it is.

I have no complaints so far apart from the commentary which managed to:

1) Call Agios Stephanos NE San Stephanos (hilarious - I bet they're pissed off!)
2) Totally mispronounce Mount Pantokrator

Seeing Corfu simply through the eyes of Agios Stephanos NW would be a serious misinterpretation of reality. The rich in the east, the 24/7 inebriated in Kavos, the rather pathetic jollities of Sidari, and the financial problems of many of the islanders are simply the truth. Sit for an hour or two beside the harbour in Kassoipi and you will hear different voices from the visiting flotillas than you would hear in Agios Stephanos.

This is an eight part series. We cannot reasonably judge it until we have seen it all.

I know many people who would hate Ag Stef. We like it because it lies perfectly between the obnoxious tax-exiles in the east, the brain-dead denizens of Kavos, and the Clacton In The Sun atmosphere of Sidari. It seems to me that Ag Stef is populated with people who have worked hard, and maybe still do, and who appreciate the unpretentious calm of the village and the warmth of the local people.

[Jimbo]

Cross- posted with Lizzie -

I watched the first promo and 5 mins of the second and will not be watching more.

Then you have no right to make any comment whatsoever.

[debra]

I watched it and have a big smile on my face when it shows you the lush countryside and beauty of the island.  It's true there are many diverse aspects of the island, didn't find this a problem - the rich folk just made me laugh but they too loved the island.  Thought the couple who had renovated and opened a bed and breakfast in Perithia seemed absolutely lovely - I just wanted to pack my bags and go and stay there!

[Georgie2002]

Debra and Jimbo - I'm with you guys! It put a smile on my face! Surely anything showing Corfu in all its glory is a good thing for Greece?! It's sooo beautiful!

[dibully]

We have both watched it and enjoyed seeing other aspects of the Island visitors expats or locals and makes me happy that we chose AS feel so lucky but if Sidari or any other resort works for them and brings in the much needed income to the Island it can only be good

[Lesley]

Living and previously working here (all parts of the island), I agree with Jimbos comments and others.

Originally I posted on here for anyone wishing to be involved in the filming and the film crew also posted on various Forums on FB, this was get to a feel of all angles of what Corfu offers.  The film crew were here from March until Mid August to capture all of Corfu and had & have Corfu's interests at heart.

As previous posts this is only episode 2 of 8 parts. The fact that ITV (with Century films) chose to invest in Corfu & Greece in a positive light (when so much of the media is showing negative coverage) is in my opinion a fabulous statement for Corfu.

Whether it be the expensive villas (and remember these people are bringing in revenue to the locals via labour in their area) as well as the huge amounts of money they spend whilst in resort. It's a tribute to Corfu that this small island can offer so many diversities in a holiday destination, whether in Kavos, Sidari, and all the other resorts still to be shown including our own area of Agios (San) Stefanos as well as offer investment in otherwise abandoned villages (such as Perithia) again bringing in work opportunities otherwise unavailable to local people.

Personally I am looking forward to seeing all the 8 episodes and having spoken to family and friends in UK they are enjoying watching the wonderful coastlines, inland villages and great scenery that Corfu can offer all their visitors.

[lilly]

I have really enjoyed the programme and I am looking forward to the next 6 episodes, I think that the programme makers have succeeded in showing different aspects to Corfu, all these aspects exist so they are all a part of what Corfu is like today, it would never have become a popular holiday destination bringing much needed revenue to the island if things had stayed the same has when the tourist industry first began, if it had stayed the same and no hotels  had been built to accomodate the tourists and no taverna's built to feed people etc then it would not have become an holiday destination for obvious reasons, change is not always a bad thing and is sometimes needed for survival, visitors to the island or people buying/building homes in Corfu are all bringing their money to the island and keeping local people in jobs, I think that can only be a good thing especially in todays climate of uncertainty.

There is room for all.

[Gill C]

Also looking forward to next weeks as our friends Heather and Bern were filmed in their 60th anniversary year when they were there in June.Bern is now suffering from dementia but feels very comfortable in San Stefanos with Noula and the girls there for any help needed.Its one place he can go for a walk and feel safe because he knows the area and many of the locals.

[lilly]

Hi Gill, I saw the preview about your friends, really looking forward to watching, dementia is a terrible thing, my Dad has recently been diagnosed with vascular dementia caused by a major stroke which he had a few years ago, it is such a cruel disease, I am so glad that your friends feel safe in Sans Stefanos, it truly is such an amazing place, I have been recording the programmes so I can watch them again whenever I need a dose of Corfu, only 7 months until our next visit, this time for 3 weeks, hope this winter passes quickly.

[Teamnickos]

Really enjoyed watching as brought back
 special memories of ag stephans (Nw) and Noula and the girls. BUT really irritated by the toffs wanting to redesign the villa and get rid of 'the stick ' .....get a flippin life

[D@G]

Excellent post Jimbo, I agree 100%.

I'm enjoying the series and looking forward to the rest.

[Jimbo]

Thanks, D@G

I've spent a lot of my working life writing and doing radio and TV, and it is annoying when people make judgements without actually having seen the whole thing. I've been at previews of my plays where TV critics or those who write the week's previews turn up 20 minutes late and leave 10 minutes before the end, and then write snide remarks. I've reviewed stage plays for the New Statesman, and felt a great weight of duty to be careful and fair.

Agios Stephanos is not the subject - it's just part of the tapestry. I could make a documentary about the village which would indeed be two contrasting things: the image projected by the local people, and the underlying culture which is suppressed or "re-packaged" over the summer. There are, in the village, diametrically opposed views on how things should move forward commercially. There are family feuds and feuds within families; there are minor jealousies. Think "The Archers" and move it to a corner of Corfu. Think what it's like when they retreat up the hill to Avliotes in the winter to meet and drink coffee and eat real Greek food, which is not quite the same as the "Greek" food we mostly eat; similar, but subtly different.

In the interim, my current view is that the series is a little bit too "easy" because it's quite simple to shoot some hurray-Henrys on one side of the island and a tribute singer in Sidari. Do we criticise the girl for working out how to make a living? I don't think so. It's not what I want - I prefer Bach and Stravinsky - but she's fulfilling a need, filling a slot, getting paid, and good luck to her!

The big game is being played-out elsewhere. Greece will probably get one more bail-out to give more money to the bankers. Unemployment is rising. More and more people are starving in the cities at least. This cannot be reflected in the programmes because they are "sealed" at the point that shooting finished. I sincerely hope that they will have made more than a gesture towards the difficult circumstances that put dark clouds over Greece and the people we have come to know and love. They rarely tell us the uncertainties that lie behind the smiles.