On BBC Radio 4’s “Open Book”, Victoria talks to Mariella Frostrup about the themes and the history behind her new novel “The Thread”, about her love of Greece, sewing costumes on the set of the TV adaptation of “The Island” and about why, despite her bestselling books, she still doesn’t call herself a novelist…
This interview is also available on BBC iPlayer
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“To Nisi”, Mega TV’s 26-part adaptation of Victoria’s novel “The Island”, is the most successful series in the history of Greek television, watched by almost three-quarters of the population. Now, its success has moved further afield with Mega selling broadcast rights to the series to Germany, Turkey and Croatia, where broadcasting will begin later in the year. The production, the most expensive in the history of Greek television garnered rave reviews over its six month run. Production stills, video footage and behind-the-scenes information about the programme can be found here, while those of who speak Greek can watch it online at Mega Web TV
The phenomenal success of the Greek TV production “This Island” (To Nisi) continues. The 26 part series has now been sold in a number of countries and is currently being broadcast in neighbouring Turkey. Broadcast rights for the production have been sold to half a dozen countries including Germany, Cyprus and Croatia,
Victoria visited the set of the production during filming and even played a walk-on part in the adaptation. The series, which has been critically acclaimed in the press, has beaten all records for TV viewing in Greece, with almost 70% of the population tuning in to follow Victoria’s moving, harrowing story. For production photos, videos and behind-the-scenes footage of filming, click here.
Bestselling author Victoria Hislop rejects an offer from Hollywood to turn her debut novel into a blockbuster.Keen to preserve the integrity of the book and to give something back to the Mediterranean island on which it is based, Hislop has instead allowed one of Greece’s main television channels to dramatise her story for a fraction of the fee. Since its publication in 2005, The Island has sold more than 1m copies in Britain alone, won several awards and been translated into more than a dozen languages, including Greek.
The popularity of the novel in America led to Hislop, 50, being courted by several film studios. “Some were offering me high six-figure dollar sums for the rights,” said Hislop, whose follow-up novel, The Return, set in Spain, has also been a success.
After spurning Hollywood, the author settled for “far less” from Mega, the Greek broadcaster, which is turning The Island into a 26-part drama that has just started filming. “I really don’t mind,” said Hislop. “What I wanted, and will now get, is a chance to have a say in the TV series. (full story at The Times)
