July 2024 – Sophie Neville

Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Kit Seymour on BBC Breakfast

‘Can you speak to BBC Breakfast?’ I was asked. ‘They want to interview the cast on Zoom tomorrow morning.’

It was Saturday 29th June. We were at Windermere Jetty in Cumbria for the 50th Anniversary of ‘Swallows and Amazons’, the 1974 film was being screened in the room below us and a huge number of enthusiasts were eager to chat about how we’d made it. I had just come in from sailing Amazon, John Sergeant, president of The Arthur Ransome Society, was about to arrive and we had books to sign, but I knew it was important to act fast. The BBC would need time to contact StudioCanal in order to use the film trailer. I grabbed my lap-top and attempted to persuade the production team we had lots to talk about while finding a good signal. The best place was on a staircase, which was fun when Captain Nancy and Mate Susan rushed past, but a more interesting background was required.

‘What time do you want us on air?’

‘7.40am.’

‘Ah – the museum doesn’t open until 10.00am. Can we chat to you from the terrance of our hotel? It overlooks Windermere.’

‘It might be best if we send out an outside broadcast unit.’

I wasn’t told the item would also go out on Look North and North West News.

I woke early the next morning to find Keith, the BBC cameraman, setting up his equipment. Rain clouds cleared as I unrolled Arnaldo Putzu’s 1974 film poster and plonked David Wood’s screenplay on top of it with a few flags but worried about my hair, which was not behaving. We had Peter Robb-King, one of the greatest make up designers in the world with us. I should have asked for his help. All I did was remove a car key from around my neck.

Sadly, Simon West who’d played Captain John had already left, but Suzanna Hamilton and Kit Seymour emerged from their rooms and we lined up for the shot.

Was I organised? Did I tell them, ‘We need to get three points across!’ ?

No.

Someone quietly suggested I could mention The Arthur Ransome Society who had organised the weekend festival, which was free for all.

Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Kit Seymour setting up for BBC Breakfast

Keith fitted us with earpieces and explained that there would be a delay between questions asked in the studio and our answers. We couldn’t see the presenters but could hear the film trailer being played. When we were asked us to introduce ourselves, I didn’t realise they needed to know which characters we’d played until I got to Kit Seymour, who had been Nancy. Straight forward and honest, she managed to answer the difficult question:

‘What’s it like… how does it feel?’

‘Listening to stories of how the film has changed people’s lives,’
she admitted, ‘was quite an emotional experience.’

Suzanna, explained in her beautiful voice, that since the the story was set in the 1930s it hasn’t dated, and we were able to chat naturally about our mission to encourage the next generation to get out on the water. We chatted about the movie memorabilia and David Wood’s script – that as children we were never allowed to read and the amazing time we were having at Windermere Jetty museum where one little girl arrived dressed as Titty Walker with a green parrot on her sholder.

I held Swallow’s flag and managed to speak about the acquisition and renovation of the dinghies, aware that there were no boats to be seen on the hotel terrace. However BBC Breakfast have brilliant vision mixers. The best film clips of Swallow and Amazon literally sailed over my words and I grabbed the chance to talk about The Arthur Ransome Society on national television before they bid us farewell.

When John Sergeant asked me how it had gone I had to admit that we tripped up on the time delays, but we celebrated the much loved film bringing news that Swallow and Amazon are being made available for anyone to sail and that grants are available for children to take part in outdoor activities mentioned in Arthur Ransome’s twelve books.

Many thanks to all those who left encouraging feedback on social media. I forwarded it to the production team.

Eileen Jones – This is fascinating , about the landscape more important than costume. Just introduced another generation.

Will Hawthorne – just watched it. Lovely.

Amanda Whatley – Great interview, congratulations on the reunion of the boats and people.

Jon Porter – Fantastic

John Greenhough – Great memories of this film.

David Elms – Delightful interview Sophie.

Amanda Currie– I ‘m so sorry I didn’t get there Sophie, my stupid body keeps letting me down, I would have so loved to meet you all.

Robin Jett – I love your delight about the boats. The boats are back! What fun! Great to see how ‘Susan’ and ‘Nancy’ have grown up too. I can see aspects of each character in each actress, but I expect, if you had all played different characters, that might still be true.

Sten Grendon (Roger), Simon West (John), Virginia McKenna (Mother), Suzanna Hamilton (Susan) and Sophie Neville (Titty) with their hats ~ photo: Daphne Neville

Arthur Ransome wrote ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 1929 when hats were worn in England, certainly in north Lancashire where the book is set. Would members of the Walker family have been wearing them?

When I took part in Claude Whatham’s movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’, made in the early 1970s, we were given school hats to wear when we arrived at Holly Howe in the opening sequence. While the boys had caps, I was given a straw hat but found it blew off when we ran down the field to the Peak at Darien where I spotted the island of my dreams. It ended up being quite a useful thing to hold in my hands.

In later books in the series such as Peter Duck, Missee Lee and Great Northern Arthur Ransome depicts the Swallows wearing white linen sunhats but these do not appear in the Lakeland books until the hot summer of Pigeon Post. It only seems to be the Amazons who wore hats in Swallows and Amazons.

Sten Grendon, Simon West, Kit Seymour and Lesley Bennett in Secret Harbour

I rather envied the warmth these provided out on the water but they could get hot. This is possibly because in 1973, when they were sourced locally by the second assistant director, they could have been made of acrylic rather than Westmorland wool.

Claude Whatham, Richard Pilbrow, Gareth Tandy, Peter Robb-King, Ronnie Cogan and Neville C Thompson with Kit Seymour and Lesley Bennet trying on hats for Swallows and Amazons — Claude Whatham, Richard Pilbrow, Gareth Tandy, Peter Robb-King, Ronnie Cogan and Neville C Thompson with Kit Seymour and Lesley Bennet trying on hats

The first knitted hats that turned up on our film set were pink, and quite a bright pink at that. This photo shows them being tried and rejected, which is why Nancy and Peggy are not wearing hats in the scenes set at Beckfoot.

Kit Seymour and Lesely Bennett — Kit Seymour and Lesley Bennett playing the Amazons

It seems natural enough, shows them in a different light and works well when they are careening Amazon.

Kit Seymour with Claude Whatham, 1973 — Kit Seymour with the director Claude Whatham, 1973

The second hats to arrived on set may not be have been exactly right in design but they weren’t too bad. Does anyone know if they were knitted specially and by whom?

Sophie Neville, Kit Seymour, Suzanna Hamilton, Sten Grendon, Simon West and Lesley Bennett in ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974)

Would the Amazons have removed their hats inside the houseboat? The great aunt would have certainly taken tea in her hat and this was a pirate feast.

Kit Seymour and Sophie Neville in 'Swallows and Amazons' — Kit Seymour as Nancy and Sophie Neville as Titty with the green parrot

Perhaps the fact that the Swallows don’t sail in hats adds accent to the Amazon pirates and Nancy triumphantly wearing hers.

Kit Seymour in 'Swallows and Amazons' (1974) by the film poster artist Arnaldo Putzu — Kit Seymour in ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) by the film poster artist Arnaldo Putzu

My mother was given one of the pink rejects but wore a huge floral Donny Osmond cap on set.

She made me wear both a hat and sunscreen behind the scenes in an attempt to stave off sunstroke.

There were not many very sunny days but it was I who wore a hat at Beckfoot. I now prefer something with a wider brim and a string under the chin to ensure it doesn’t blow off and sink to the bottom of Derwentwater as my mother’s did.