Poet: Sappho declared her love for women . The Greek island of Lesbos may be inextricably linked to the idea of female homosexuality – but in ancient times it was a notorious sexual playground for straight men, who found the local women irresistible. In a new BBC documentary, former Apprentice star Margaret Mountford will reveal that the island was the Magaluf of its day, and a capital for sex tourism. Professor Edith Hall from King's College London tells the programme: 'Lesbos had a very particular reputation for producing very beautiful women. They really were supposed to be the sexiest people in the entire Greek world.' She added that, in the Ancient Greek world, the word 'lesbian' actually meant a woman performing an intimate sex act on a man. Professor Hall also explained that the fact that Lesbos was closer to Turkey than Athens only added to the sexual allure of the women. She said: 'They also had a very interesting accent which would have sounded almost oriental to the Athenians. They were nearer Asia so their Greek accent would have been inflected like that.' Mountford then describes the island as 'the sex tourism capital of the ancient Aegean'. The programme examines the life and legacy of the female poet Sappho, who lived on the island around 600BC. She was one of the great writers of the ancient world, and wrote poems which appeared to be declarations of love for other women. As a result, both 'Sapphic' and the name of the island have now become synonymous with lesbianism – although such usage only started in the 19th Century. In 2008, residents of the island lost a legal fight to ban the use of the word 'lesbian' to describe gay women, arguing that the term violated their human rights and 'disgraced' them around the world. In the documentary, Mountford travels to Lesbos to try to uncover the truth about Sappho's life. The poet is believed to have had a daughter, and Mountford explores the differences between the ancient Greek concept of homosexuality and our own. Lesbos had a particular reputation for producing very beautiful women, the TV show will reveal . Modern day comparison: The island of Lesbos was the Magaluf of its day and a capital for sex tourism . Professor James Davidson said the willingness of the Ancient Greeks to embrace both male and female homosexuality may have been as much social as sexual. He said: 'Societies are strange and societies do strange things. This is a really peculiar cultural phenomenon. Instead of Greek homosexuality, I think it should be called Greek homo-besottedness. 'It is always over the top. It is always so extreme. 'The whole phenomenon of Greek homosexuality for men and for women seems to be a kind of cultural and social institution. 'They are using it as a way of social cohesion to break out of family groups and to establish communities. 'Sappho was a phenomenon but any kind of genius still follows the culture of their time.' Sappho: Love And Life On Lesbos With Margaret Mountford will be shown on BBC Four on May 6.
The Greek island was the 'sex tourism capital of the ancient Aegean'
Former Apprentice TV star Margaret Mountford will describe life on the island in a new television programme .
Show also examines life and legacy of the female poet Sappho, who lived on the island around 600BC .