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David Wood, who originally worked with Evgenia Ransome to adapt her husband’s book Swallows & Amazons for the big screen in 1973, has recently written to tell me:
‘Several attempts were made to follow up SWALLOWS. I did a screenplay of GREAT NORTHERN?, plus detailed treatments of WINTER HOLIDAY (for film) and WE DIDN’T MEAN TO GO TO SEA (for television), plus a six-part serial based on PIGEON POST. But all of them bit the dust!!!
Claude is the only director for whom I worked as an actor on film (SWEET WILLIAM), television (CHERI, DISRAELI) and stage (VOYAGE ROUND MY FATHER), as well as working with him as a writer (SWALLOWS and a film that never got made called THE HEYDAY).
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Claude Whatham must have made the BBC adaptation of Colette’s novel Cheri just before Swallows & Amazons as it was broadcast in April 1973. Brenda Bruce, who I knew as Mrs Dixon, played Charlotte whilst David was Desmond, supporting Scott Anthony and Yvonne Mitchell as the lovers Cheri and Lea.
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David Wood played Lord Derby in the 1978 BBC costume drama Disreali that Claude Whatham directed. Whilst Ian McShane had the title role, the part of Queen Victoria was given to Rosemary Leach, who later played Mrs Barrable in the BBC serial of Coot Club and The Big Six. Suzanna Hamilton appeared in it too as one of the princesses. She must have been about seventeen – a good age to be zooming about in a crinoline with scooped up hair. It would have been quite a contrast to playing Mate Susan on Peel Island in the Lake District.
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When he was in his twenties David starred in the feature film if…. with Malcolm McDowell. You can get it on DVD or watch the Youtube pasted in the Comments below. I’d love to see the wartime drama Aces High, the movie directed by Jack Gold in which David played Lt Tommy Thompson opposite Simon Ward, Peter Firth and Christopher Plumber as well as Malcomb McDowell. John Gielgud played the Headmaster in scenes shot at Eton in this film, while Arthur Lowe played his house master in if… I am not sure which school they used. You will have to let me know. Arundel?
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In 2004 David was awarded an OBE for services to literature and drama. I was not surprised. His output has been prolific. To find out more about his work as an author and playwright do watch this short BBC documentary Meet the Author presented by Nick Higham.
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Sophie Neville 
Can’t find Aces High but If… is available as a full movie on You Tube here,
Wow! thanks for this.
Shame none of his treatments for other Ransome books go anywhere. I’ve always like If since I first saw it, and always found it curious that David ended up being a writer of children’s plays and films!
Sorry! Should be got anywhere of course!
I’ll ask him. I expect it was because they prove more expensive to produce than one might ever imagine.
Sorry, I meant to say that I will ask him if he still has the drafts scripts.
Yes, the drafts have been archived!
How interesting – thanks for this one, Sophie
Does Mr. Wood have an opinion as to why subsequent films and TV adaptions bit the dust? Would the proposed modern adaptation by the BBC perhaps remain under the same threat?
I’ll ask him. I expect it was because they prove more expensive to produce than one might ever imagine.
I remember ‘Aces High’ and ‘If…’. Both brilliant films. I hadn’t realised that the script writer for ;Swallows and Amazons’ was in them both.