Who Pays the Ferryman?

This ten-episode TV series was a great hit in the Netherlands in 1978. Pretty much the whole country stayed home to watch it and the theme music climbed the hit charts.

The story breathes the relative idyllic atmosphere of Greece in the late 70s. The military dictatorship had been overthrown in 1974 and the country was opening up to foreign tourism like never before. The future appeared bright, though at the same time the memories of the Second World War remained fresh as many had lived through it.

This is the background against which the story is set. Inside scenes were filmed in the UK, but all outside sequences were filmed on Crete with lots of local extras, which lends the story a lot of authenticity. The fact that the main Greek characters are played by British actors does not take away from that. They do an excellent job.

While referencing Greek mythology, especially in the episode titles, the story remains grounded in real life intercultural and interpersonal conflicts. It builds up over the episodes to a magnificent climax at the end. I cannot but recommend this series.

The village of Elounda, featured prominently in the series, became something of a tourist magnet as a result and grew into a major seaside resort on Crete.