A title melodie that evokes a landscape. About the 1977 BBC series, the music of Yannis Markopoulos and the return of a past that is not over.
Γιάννης Μαρκόπουλος
ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗ
A listening guide · voices, landscape and memory
01 · READ & LISTEN
A return to Crete
Who Pays the Ferryman? is a 1977 BBC drama series, written by Michael J. Bird. The eight episodes follow Alan Haldane, played by Jack Hedley. He returns to Crete, where he was involved in the resistance during World War II. The meeting with the people of his past set a new story in motion.
Without revealing the ending: old loves, hidden relatives and resentment make the return more and more complicated. The present does not seem to be separated from previous decisions. The series combines a personal drama with a landscape filled with memories for Haldane.
The recordings took place in and around Elounda. Watch how a port, road or taverna functions in a scene. The same place can radiate peace and at the same time prepare a meeting that changes everything.
The music is by Cretan composer Yannis Markopoulos, in Greek Γιάννης ΜαρκόπουλοςSofia Philharmonic describes his birth in Heraklion in 1939, his education in Athens and his later stay in London. After his return in 1969 he worked on an ensemble sound in which local Greek instruments came together with other musical means.
His idea of returning to the roots was to explore traditions and connect them with contemporary art forms. This background offers a useful perspective on his television music. A composition can match a specific place and work for an international audience.
In 1977 he composed the music for Who Pays the Ferryman? The title melodie also became known outside the series and appeared in the British charts. For example, the recording is in the list of Official Charts of 18 December 1977.
First listen to the title melodie without images. What short musical thought do you remember? Neurie her afterwards and listen again to hear what details your memory has simplified. A recognizable melody can consist of little material and yet contain many small movements.
At a second listen, focus on the pulse and the accompaniment. Where does the same pattern return? Which sound is in the foreground, which connects the phrases and which makes the space bigger? First describe what you hear before giving it an instrument name.
Then check out the initial titles. An own interpretation is that music and landscape together can evoke an expectation of distance, memory and approaching drama. Ask yourself what changes with the images. The same theme can remain much more open without the series.
04 · READ & LISTEN
Elounda: a landscape on the screen
The independent project Who Pays the Ferryman? Locations Page compares scenes from the series with current street images and maps. The creator describes how he tries to find landmarks with screenshots and map material. This makes the site an interesting entrance for those who want to watch the series from Elounda.
Treat such comparisons as location research by a fancier. A façade found does not automatically confirm the accessibility of a building. Filmic space can also be composed of different recording sites: a view from a door and the view in the next shot do not need to be filmed in the same place.
A quiet viewing hike can therefore start with a public harbour or street, without wanting to complete a complete film route. Compare the relationship between water, buildings and mountains. What do you see, and what do you know especially because the series has already sent your gaze?
The title refers to Charon, the ferryman from Greek mythology who transfers the dead to the underworld. Within the story, this reference becomes an invitation to think about the price of choices. Who bears the consequences of a decision taken long ago?
As your own reading proposal, you can look at boundaries: between then and now, knowing and silent, coming home and staying stranger. The series thus gets a tragic underlay. The landscape offers space for beautiful images, while the story asks whether a return can really be a new beginning.
After an episode, put on the title melodie again. Does she sound different now that you know more about the characters? That change in your own listening experience makes it clear how a soundtrack can collect memories.
Start with the original title melodie under the name Yannis Markopoulos. Then compare a longer soundtrack release, when it is available with your music service. Note the version and performance credits: a later cover can keep the melody and change the whole sound world.
Then look at the opening of the series and compare it with your first impression without a picture. Note one musical observation and one question about the story. For a next step, you can read more about Cretan music, Elounda and Spinalonga in the guide.
This guide deals with the work as television drama and music. Historical events, local stories and fictional characters each ask their own sources. The questions and interpretations here are editorial proposals; you do not have to experience the music in the same way.
Look up and listen yourself
Open these search links YouTube. Preferably select an official artist or label release and check the version. Nothing plays automatically; the offer can change.
Consulted on October 17, 2026. Biographical and production data refer to the sources below. Listening analyses and viewing questions are his own editorial contributions. The series overview is a secondary source; the location project is independent enthusiast research.