A new television series set to premiere next week has been billed as the "British White Lotus," promising witty dialogue, intense drama, and emotional turmoil under a summer sun. The eight-part BBC programme Two Weeks in August airs its first episode on 23 May, following a group of friends reuniting for a holiday that quickly spirals into a nightmare.
Set on a Greek island, the drama centres on Zoe (Jessica Raine), a teacher and mother seeking to rediscover joy while managing everyone else's expectations. As Zoe begins to release her true emotions, the holiday descends into chaos for the group, exacerbated by new challenges as the long summer days progress.
While both Two Weeks in August and The White Lotus are holiday-set dramas, they differ significantly. The creator emphasises that this story, unlike the wealthy White Lotus elite, focuses on relatively ordinary people vacationing at a modest villa in Greece, a familiar European hotspot for Brits, making it more relatable. Although Greece and its ancient mythology become increasingly important to the protagonist's emotional unraveling, the show was actually filmed in Malta.
The Independent spoke to show creator Catherine Shepherd about why Malta was chosen and delves into the filming locations for the anticipated series.
Where was Two Weeks in August filmed?
While its Greek setting is central to the story, Two Weeks in August was shot in Malta and Gozo last year with the help of local production company Pellikola. Greece was the obvious first choice for filming, but the decision to film in Malta ultimately came down to cost. However, the show does an excellent job of transporting viewers to Greece. Shepherd explained that she and the production team found enough seaside locations and rugged beaches in Malta and Gozo that made suitable stand-ins for a Greek island setting.
"We had to go to Gozo to find a beach that really felt like it could be a harbour for a small island. That involved some searching," she explained. "It's more complicated to film on Gozo because it's so small and it involves the crew all staying on there, but we had to film some of the scenes on there because it needed to look deserted, to not have hotels in the background. So that's why we found Gozo."
Malta's sister island, Gozo, is less populated than the mainland and is often a quieter place to explore. Just a 40-minute ferry from Malta's capital, Valletta, Gozo is also greener and boasts dramatic limestone cliffs, including those at Dwejra Bay, where the cast shot scenes on the first day of filming. The spectacular Dwejra cliffs can be seen in a scene with Dan and Zoe in episode three.
Unfortunately, some Malta filming locations no longer exist. A seafront taverna in Ghar Lapsi, central to a scene in an early episode, was washed away during Storm Harry earlier this year, when much of the bay was damaged. Meanwhile, the villa where the friends holiday, which provides the setting for plenty of drama, was deconstructed after filming wrapped.
Shepherd said: "The main challenge for the designer, Jon Henson, who is really amazing, was to find a house ... the Maltese houses look quite distinctive in that beautiful sandstone, [but] they didn't look so Greek. So eventually, after weeks and weeks of searching and returning to Malta and driving around, he finally found the farmhouse that we used [for the villa]. But it was too small, and it didn't have a pool, so he put the pool in. It was an amazing feat of engineering."
"It was a really big job getting the villa right. But it's all gone now. We had to deconstruct it, take down the swimming pool, take down the kitchen, and it's all gone back to this little farmhouse."
Many spots still exist, however. The harbour where the cast visits the local market can be found at Mġarr ix-Xini on Gozo. The small inlet was once an occasional refuge for the galleys of the Knights of St. John, who built a watchtower over the bay in 1551 that still stands today. When not taking in views from the tower, many visitors to Mġarr ix-Xini come to dive, as its underwater landscape features several caves tucked into the cliff faces.
One scene sees the cast take a boat trip to a secluded beach. While producers do not specify which beach, they said they chose one in Mellieha on Malta's mainland, known for having the island's largest sandy beaches.
The importance of Greece to the story
As viewers will notice early in the show, Greek mythology, its symbolism, and its role in Zoe's character development are crucial elements. While production did not film in Greece, setting the story on a Greek island was important for bringing this supernatural element. Shepherd explained that when she conceived the idea of a holiday story, Greece immediately came to mind, as she holidayed with her family on various Greek islands, such as Paxos and Corfu, throughout her childhood and into her 20s and 30s. Her father was also very interested in Greek mythology, which left a lasting impression on Shepherd as she wove it into the story.
"It gives it a kind of epic scale, which I really wanted," she said. "I very much wanted it to be about the comedy and tragedy in travel, but also to explore big ideas about death and love and desire and repressing, which the Greek myths allow. It allows that to be part of the story in a really resonant, atmospheric, cinematic way."
Mythological figures known as The Fates or Moirai appear out of the corner of Zoe's eye throughout the show, just before something happens that makes her unravel further. "The gods are sort of lurking; I thought they're just a really interesting way of writing about her [Zoe's] unconscious, the things we were all repressing," Shepherd said.
She added that Greece makes an atmospheric and powerful setting, known for the birth of democracy and spawning philosophies that have shaped Western thought. "It's connecting to big things that humans have always experienced," she said.
Two Weeks in August will air on BBC One on Saturday, 23 May.
