Who Pays The Ferryman?

Cast

Jack Hedley

Alan Haldane
(Jack Hedley)

Betty Arvaniti

Annika Zeferis
(Betty Arvaniti)

Stefan Gryff

The Major
(Stefan Gryff)

Neil McCarthy

Babis Spiridakis
(Neil McCarthy)

Takis Emmanuel

Matheos Noukakis
(Takis Emmanuel)


Nikos Vassilakis - Nikos Verlekis
Elena Vassilakis - Maria Sokali
Alexis Vassilakis - Alexis Sergis
Katerina Matakis - Patience Collier

Click for larger image Alan Haldane (Jack Hedley)

The part of Alan Haldane required careful casting. So much of the story rests on this man who has to be sufficiently heroic to justify the reputation of Leandros, yet vulnerable enough to win sympathy for the impossible situation in which he finds himself. Haldane was to have been played by Peter Finch before his death in January 1977. Frank Finlay was also considered but eventually the part went to Jack Hedley and it is now hard to imagine anyone else in the role.

In the minds of the viewers Hedley was already a war hero from his stint in Colditz and appearances in films like The Longest Day. His reserved and understated performance contrasted perfectly with the volatility of the Greeks, of whom he said at the time: "They're all right, really. But they're a noisy lot and although we have an interpreter here, if any of the extras have to be moved even ten feet over to the other side of the shot there's a thirty minute confrontation about it." He was equally dismissive of his own performance, telling Radio Times "I get dressed up and make a fool of myself in front of cameras to entertain people who aren't lucky enough to be working in Crete."

A website visitor spotted Hedley in this 'selfie' (left) posted on Instagram. It was taken (she thinks) sometime in 2018.

Hedley died of a heart attack on 11th December, 2021, aged 92. A number of fans contacted me on hearing the news and I am indebted to Chris Williams who penned an obituary for our website and later directed me to this piece in The Times on 25th January 2022 modestly saying it was better than the one he wrote.


Annika Zeferis (Betty Arvaniti)

Betty Arvaniti recalls she first met Michael Bird when he came to Athens to cast the show. She was asked by the Greek Film Centre to meet him and the director with a view to being given a leading part in the series.

"I was very nervous", she says, "as it was the first time I had a chance to participate in a foreign production, much more in a BBC one! In Greece I was already well known as leading actress both in the theatre and cinema."

Betty remembers her first impression of the writer. "I recall his eyes, which were a mixture of charm and challenge, mocking and undressing your soul simultaneously. I felt conquered and at the same time very close to him. Later, when we became very good friends he told me , that the moment the door opened and I entered, he thought 'This is Annika' (the name of the character I played in the series) 'I wrote it for her'. In fact there was something supernatural in our first meeting."

She was clearly a big hit, since she returned a few years later to star in Bird's The Dark Side of the Sun. In places the strength of her Greek accent can be a distraction but the final confrontation with Patience Collier, her stricken mother, is a tour de force.

Betty was born in 1939 and 3rd August 2021 was her 82nd birthday (her Wikipedia entry is a day out.)

Website visitor Chris Williams is in touch with Betty's family and kindly obtained their permission for me to post these two contemporary photographs.

Contemporary TV interview.

You may like to check out this contemporary Dutch TV appearance by Jack Hedley and Betty Arvaniti at the height of the show's popularity, posted on YouTube. (Click the picture (left), the interview - which is conducted in English - begins 2 or 3 minutes into the clip.)

I knew the show was phenomenally popular in Holland, but it is fun to see how bewildered the stars seem!

Matheos Noukakis (Takis Emmanuel)

(From IMDB) Takis Emmanuel was born in 1933 in Greece. He was an actor and writer, known for Zorba the Greek (1964), Young Aphrodites (1963) and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973).

He died on 26th August 2017 in Athens, Greece.



The Major (Stefan Gryff)

After The Lotus Eaters Bird's next project was to be "Krasakis" - a series of stories based around the Greek policeman, played by Stefan Gryff. Sadly the BBC's Alistair Milne killed the idea, saying that it would be too expensive and in any case the BBC "had enough cop shows". In retaliation Bird wrote the character into Who Pays The Ferryman? On screen he was referred to only as "The Major" - and no longer sported his trademark moustache and sunglasses - but the viewers all knew who he was. When Bird came to write the novelisation of the series he reverted to the name Krasakis, removing any doubt that it is indeed Erik Shepherd's friend, Michael Krasakis, from Aghios Nikolaos, his sense of duty strong as ever.

Sadly Stefan Gryff died on 3rd June 2017. Following his death Neil Hendry asked website visitor Chris Williams to write an obituary for the Ian Hendry website. Chris says he did a lot of research but found very little information. Later, he decided to dig a little deeper. You can download a PDF of Chris's chilling account.

(Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Acrobat Reader is free software that lets you view and print Adobe PDF files.) Download Acrobat Reader?

Patience Collier

Katarina Matakis

Patience Collier (19th August 1910 - 13th July 1987 in London)
deserves a mention for a superb performance as Katarina Matakis, a woman consumed by fear and hatred in equal measure.
Born Rene Ritcher, she married H.O.J. Collier (a biologist) and they had three children.

Michael J Bird Tribute Website

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