The Greek Islands with Julia Bradbury - Episode Guide

In the first episode, Julia visits the picturesque, rustic and rugged island of Crete, a favourite island with British holiday-goers, but Julia steps away from tourist trail and heads deep into the heart of the island to explore the Dikti mountains and its striking plateau of windmills. She meets goat shepherd Giannis, who shows her how he makes cheese using age-old traditional methods. Back on the coast in the town of Rethymno, Julia tries the delicacy baklava, meeting filo pastry expert Giorgos, who has been producing it for 75 years. She also meets master artisan Nico, who expertly makes the Cretan lyra, a stringed instrument said to be the ‘soundtrack to Crete'.

Her journey ends with a visit to the stunning but poignant neighbouring island of Spinalonga - once an exiled leper colony.

This week, Julia visits the lush Ionian island of Corfu, often called the least Greek of all the Greek islands.

Her trip begins in the capital Corfu Town where she discovers a surprising, cosmopolitan city more like a little slice of Italy than Greece. After sampling the delights of its famous kumquat flavoured ice cream, a cookery lesson in making Corfu's signature savoury dish, pastitsada, reveals the island's centuries-old love affair with exotic spices.

Her adventure continues in a magical forest of ancient olive trees, where she meets a pair of brothers who are passionate about revolutionising production of Corfu's oldest and most important export - olive oil. Julia ends her time on the island by trying out the secret to staying young that all Corfiots swear by.

In this episode, Julia's journey brings her to the impossibly glamorous island of Santorini in search of the perfect sunset. Her trip begins in one of Santorini's most exclusive hotels where she discovers how one of the Aegean's poorest islands became a playground for the rich and famous. In search of the secret Santorini away from the bustling crowds, she heads inland for a walk on the wild side, hiking through a forager's paradise to the hilltop village of Pyrgos to watch the sun go down. After sampling a local delicacy made from fava beans that takes her back to her childhood, she heads out to sea to find out how local fishermen are joining forces with environmentalists to keep Santorini's pristine waters plastic-free. Her journey ends with a hop across to neighbouring island Thirasia, where she encounters a sleepy island untouched by mass tourism.

This week, Julia's journey reaches the Sporades. Known as the ‘Paradise Islands', their lush pine forests and breathtaking coastlines are recognisable to millions as the backdrop of the movie Mamma Mia. On Skiathos, Julia boards a fishing boat in search of a secret world of hidden coves and deserted beaches, sampling the local delicacy of sea urchins, hand-dived from the island's crystal clear waters. Heading inland, she visits the hillside monastery of Evangelistria, one of Greece's most important religious sites, before island-hopping to neighbouring Skopelos to witness a taste of marriage, Greek style. After trying on the island's traditional wedding dress, her trip ends at the tiny Chapel of St John, the setting for the final scene of Mamma Mia and one of the most spectacular locations in Greece.

This week, Julia arrives in the Dodecanese, a far-flung group of islands at the gateway between Europe and the East.

In the medieval capital of Rhodes she uncovers a treasure of trove of Byzantine Art and has masterclass in painting historic frescoes.

Travelling inland to the mountain village of Apollona, she gets a taste of Greek Girl Power from some inspirational female entrepreneurs producing an age-old superfood made from honey and sesame.

Her trip ends with a visit to the neighbouring island of Symi, an architectural wonder like nowhere else in Greece. After sampling Symi's famous shrimps, Julia takes to the water and immerses herself in the island's rich history with a lesson in the ancient and dangerous skill of sponge diving.

In the final episode of her Greek odyssey Julia reaches her ultimate destination - the island of Chios - where her family's story began.

This week she's joined by her mother Chrissi and together they explore the home of their ancestors.