The April issue of Hampshire Life magazine has a four-page feature celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the release of the original movie ‘Swallows & Amazons’ (1974) in cinemas, which you can now read online here.
The link with Hampshire is that my father grew up in Lymington and learnt to sail on the Solent. I’ve lived in the county for twenty years, give talks at the Southampton Boat Show and meet the Nancy Blackett when she sails down to Buckler’s Hard on the Beaulieu River where my parents spent their honeymoon.
It feels odd being described as an actress, but it’s good to get a front page byline.
Celebrating 50th Anniversary of the movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 2024
On Saturday 6th April there was be a 50th Anniversary screening of the original film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ followed by a Q&A with cast and crew hosted by Brian Sibley and the screenwriter David Wood at the Cinema Museum in London. More info and link to ticket sales here.
A train strike complicated plans for many ! but cast members Simon West (Captain John), Suzanna Hamilton (Mate Susan), Sten Grendon (Boy Roger) and Kit Seymour (Captain Nancy) managed to make it, along with Gareth Tandy, who worked on the crew as Third Assistant director, and Jane Grendon who was our chaperone.
Daphne Neville with Stephen Grendon, Suzanna Hamilton, Sophie Neville, Jane Grendon and Simon West
Cedric James who worked on the camera came along.
As did our Make Up Designer Peter Robb-King .
Sophie Neville being made up for the part of Titty by Peter Robb-King in 1973
I hoped Terry Needham, the Second Assistant might be able to make it but he is in New Zealand.
Sophie Neville with Terry Needham and the unit radio at Derwentwater ~ photo: Daphne Neville
It was packed with every seat sold – a tribute to all the others on the crew who have passed away.
The screening took place at the Cinema Museum, 2 Dugard Way (off Renfrew Road) Kennington, London SE11 4TH, a former workhouse where Charlie Chaplin once stayed.
Thanks go to David Wood for getting us all together.
David Wood OBE shares an insight into filming one of the most outrageous British films of all time.
Filming If…. is the first written memoir about the cult classic film with rather a short title directed by the talented Lindsay Anderson in 1968. David Wood co-starred as one of the three public school boys, alongside Malcolm McDowell (Mick) and Richard Warwick (Wallace), who led a revolution against authority. This was regarded by many as a metaphor for the social and political situation in the UK.
If…. celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The book contains David’s memories of the personalities involved, the day-to-day challenges, and the reception given to the avant garde film, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. David Wood reflects the brilliance of Lindsay Anderson and his team. With a foreword by Malcolm McDowell and an afterword by George Perry.
Filming If…. has been highly endorsed and enjoyed by many:
“…What a brilliant thing you have done, recalling what it was like beingdirected by the great Lindsay Anderson, and being part of this hugelyimportant film and its dazzling cast.” – Joanna Lumley OBE
“David Wood has written a wonderfully evocative insider’s view of the shooting of one of the best British films ever made.” – Sir Alan Parker
“If…. is a classic movie – I was at the première in 1968 and we all sensed itthen… I’ve a feeling this book’s going to be something of a classic, too.” – Gyles Brandreth
“What are you waiting for? David Wood’s gentle memoir of the film and itslegacy is required, one-sitting reading.” – Total Film Magazine
David Wood went on to write or adapt a huge number of plays, musicals, television programmes and feature films. The first screenplay he wrote was for ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974). He wrote to me with stories of working with the audacious Mrs Ransome, which I posted on this website here.
David’s movie ‘Back Home’ won a gold award at the New York Film and Television Festival in 1991. He went on to receive enormous acclaim in the West End, winning an Olivier Award in 2013 for his stage adaptation of ‘Good Night Mr Tom’, and the JM Barrie lifetime achievement award for his contribution to children’s arts in 2017. You can find his website here.
The classic film Swallows and Amazons – currently streaming on Amazon – was made fifty years ago, and yet it still fascinates viewers. Here are a few interesting questions and points raised by Arthur Ransome enthusiasts that I ought to include in the next edition of my book written to accompany the remastered DVDs. It’s now out as an audiobook.
Roy Haslam wrote: ‘Must be a wonderful feeling to be connected to Swallows and Amazons that is loved by millions.’
I replied saying it could be overwhelming, but his comment made me think: If you could chose any movie to appear in what would it be? The amazing thing about the 1974 version of Swallows and Amazons was that we made it entirely on location. There were no computer graphics. There was no studio work until we reached the post-sync stage. We simply lived out the pages of the book.
Radio Times 1979 when ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was first broadcast five years after it was released in cinemas
Mike Clay thought, ‘for you children it must have been a confusing mixture of great excitement, frustration and boredom!’
It was in someways, but I would not say I was frustrated by anything more than falling behind at school. Missing the summer term put me in the second stream for Maths.
Hilary Dodd wrote: ‘I worked at the Warterhead Hotel at the time they were making Swallows and Amazons and the lead actors stayed there. Virginia McKenna, Brenda Bruce, Ronald Fraser, if memory serves. I was in charge of taking their order for dinner and generally making sure that they had everything they wanted in the restaurant. Miss McKenna was charming and treated all of us with courtesy, respect and politeness. The film company threw a big party at the end of filming for the locals as a thank you for the hospitality they received. We all worked incredibly hard but it was an exciting experience.’
‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) screened on Talking Pictures TV on 30th December 2021
David Thomson says he was sixteen at the time and a film extra in the Bowness scenes. ‘One member of the crew used the name Pierse Jessop when chatting up pretty girls in Ambleside.’ He was around on set but not a member of the film crew. As I remember, he provided the mobile loos.
A local lady told everyone she played Dame Virginia McKenna in the long-shots. I miss-spelt her name Toni Turner. It was Joni Turner. This idea could have been mooted as a possibility, but in the end there was no need for a double. Joni worked on set as Suzanna’s stand-in for a few days and is wearing Mrs Walker’s cardigan in one behind-the-scenes shot so she might have worked as a stand-in for Virginia McKenna, enabling the lighting cameraman to set up before the actors arrived on set.
Mike wrote that, “re-reading the stories virtually taught me to handle a dinghy. My thanks go to Arthur Ransome!”
Roger Sturge added, “Roger Altounyan taught my parents to sail in Mavis aka Amazon on Coniston Water in 1936.” He would have been aged about fourteen. “They always said while they were learning, Arthur Ransome would sail round them, but I’m not sure of the veracity of that… My first of many childhood adventures sailing on Coniston was in Amazon as a one year-old.”
…. a review of the DVD by Kieron Tyler who later observes, ‘it is also amusing watching… John (Simon West) bossing his younger brother and sisters about’, which is true! He read the wind, while we just sat in the boat waiting for orders.
Noel Flay Cass of The Arthur Ransome Group: ‘To put it in sailing terms, it can be very easy to think that you are a good sailor, or that sailing is easy, when the wind and tide are with you. It’s worth remembering that it might not seem so when you are always tacking against an ebb.’
Jennifer Bailey writes: ‘For the record, my daughter loves that you call out “Kill, kill!” approaching the houseboat. She finds Titty gratifyingly bloodthirsty.’
Neil Jeffery ‘Living on the coast in Cornwall as a child, I fell in love with the lakes first through your film and then the books! As a young child I so wanted a friend like Titty.’ He added, ‘I always escape back in time every year or so, most often with Swallows & Amazons. All classics, and probably led to my first career as a Deck Officer in Merchant Navy.’
You can watch the film trailer on Amazon Prime
The 1974 film was described as, ‘An escapade that brims over with laughter.’
‘I certainly think ‘Swallows and Amazons’ is top-of-the-crop of those made in 1973/74. The others haven’t stayed in the public mind anywhere near as long. I think ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974) fully deserves the appellation ‘Timeless Classic’.’ Daivd Butters ‘You don’t realise how much thought and hard work goes into filming even a short sequence. I love the story about the sheep!’
I’m often greeted as a long-lost friend. It’s because characters in the stories have become friends to many.
Sekhmet of the Terven KPSS wrote that as a child, ‘I was so convinced that the Swallows and Amazons were all real people that I wrote to them to ask if I could go sailing with them. My mum kindly wrote me a postcard back from them. I recognised her handwriting, but it was still a lovely thing to do.’
One good thing about the film is that it helps us understand more about the book of Swallows and Amazons and subsequent novels in the series. Jon Blanchard writes, ‘I am just reading Picts and Martyrs noticing it is the only book where the Amazons appear without the Swallows. Then I wondered why the Amazons, unlike the Ds and Swallows, do not appear in a book on their own. And I came up with an answer. Nancy and Peggy are only seen through the eyes of the others. We get to see through the eyes of Titty, Roger and Dorothea and know their thoughts. We also see into the minds of Dick and occasionally John, although they are less interested in other people. But we do not get into the minds of Susan and the Amazons. Everyone looks up to Nancy and Peggy is her sidekick, so they would not work as the centre of consciousness in a whole book. All the others have doubts and anxieties however much they long for adventure, but Nancy never. There would not be any tension.
This year, Amazon, the iconic dinghy used in both the 1974 film and 1963 BBC serial of Swallows and Amazons was on display at the Southampton International Boat Show. The Arthur Ransome Society, who now own her, brought her down from the Norfolk Broads especially for the event.
Sophie Neville with Amazon, the dinghy from ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974)
Thanks to volunteers from the project ‘Sail Swallow and Amazon’, it was great chance to find out about the literary society and chat about grabbing the chance to sail Amazon yourself. She has been renovated and is looked after by Hunter’s Yard near Ludham.
Amazon will soon be available to hire at Hunter’s Yard, Ludham
You can watch Practical Boat Owner’s video taken last year.
Amazon is available to hire from Hunter’s Yard on the Norfolk Broads from 27th September until the close of the season on about 6th October. Please contact Hunters Yard near Ludham who also have the Titmouse available.
An article published in Classic Boat read:
This film gives you a quick squizz around the Boat Show when you see the Foredeck Stage where Sophie was speaking.
This is a transcript of the notes I made to prepare for it:
It’s fifty years since ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was filmed on location in the Lake District, can I ask: how did you go about getting the role of Titty?
The extraordinary thing was that, as a normal schoolgirl, I didn’t do a thing. A letter arrived out of the blue inviting me for an interview. Forty years later, when I put an extract of my ebook on ‘The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons’ up on Goodreads, one reviewer wrote that it was ‘a good idea for a novel but a bit far-fetched.’ They didn’t realise that my story was true.
The prospect of risking film finance on six unknown children must have been daunting. Claude Whatham the film director, knew both me and Sten Grendon (who played Roger) as he had cast us in the first BBC adaptation of Laurie Lee’s memoir Cider With Rosie, back in 1971. He’d given me the part of Eileen Brown because I could play the piano well enough to accompany Laurie Lee on violin in the parochial church concert. I stumbled through ‘Oh Danny Boy’ at an agonising pace but did exactly what I was told. You can still buy the DVD.
After my first audition for the part of Titty, a group of us were taken on a sailing weekend to see how confident we were in boats but I was never asked to read for the part as you might expect. There was no film test. It all happened very fast. The letter was sent on 30th March. By 14th May 1973, we were shooting the first scene with Dame Virginia McKenna playing my mother.
Dame Virginia McKenna as Mother with Sophie Neville as Titty Walker
Tell us about your time on the set and the recording of the movie. The ninety- minute feature film was shot on 35mm almost entirely on location in the Lake District where we were based for seven weeks. The first set was a railway carriage, which was nice and warm. It was soon a twelve-foot dinghy out on Coniston Water when I wore nothing more than a thin yellow dress and a pair of navy blue elasticated knickers. The experience was usually chilly, and involved a great deal of waiting around, but we survived.
Sophie Neville with Suzanna Hamilton
I’ve got to ask this, what was it like to work with Virginia McKenna? Dame Virginia was charming and brought us together as a family, helping me to concentrate on the story. I had a few scenes alone with her on Peel Island when Titty, who is pretending to be Robinson Crusoe, persuades her to play Man Friday. It was unexpectedly embarrassing because I lost a milk tooth halfway through one sequence and grew self-conscious about opening my mouth. I coped better when handling her boat. I’m longing to be invited on a chat show when they gather together all the film actors who’ve played Robinson Crusoe. I’m pretty sure that I’m the only woman who has embodied the character in a movie.
Sophie Neville as Titty
I’m curious, were you able to sail before getting the part or did you have to learn? I grew up by a lake and had crewed for my father so I was used to small boats, but it was Simon West and Kit Seymour who were the brilliant sailors. Their skill shines through and made the film great. Some of the maneuvers were quite scary.
Filming Swallows and Amazons (1974) from a camera pontoon
No one asked if I could row a boat and yet Titty rows in three crucial scenes. It’s more difficult than you might think when you have a Panavision camera onboard or are effectively towing the camera boat. We now have a modern dinghy which we sail on the Solent, with a little more attention to safety.
Nina Nannar interviewing Sophie Neville for ITV News at Ten
If I remember rightly there weren’t a lot of life jackets in the movie. Was health and safety not such a concern then? The story is set in 1929, so none of us wore life jackets in vision. We could swim but the water was freezing and our wooden boat lacked buoyancy of any kind. My father, who was an experienced sailor, was not happy with the safety aspects and nearly took me home. We’d been fine while sailing free but nearly collided with the Lakeland steamer while Dad was dressed as a film extra, looking down on us from the deck. He insisted on a safety officer after that.
Are you still a sailor or do you feel that part of your life is over? The Arthur Ransome Society has just acquired both Swallow and Amazon, the clinker-built sailing dinghies used in the film, which are being restored for members to sail. I’m very much looking forward to taking them out on Windermere. I am also a member of the Nancy Blackett Trust who keep the first yacht that Arthur Ransome bought with his royalties from ‘Swallows and Amazons’. I’ve sailed her on the Orwell, on the Solent where I live, and through the inland waterways of the Netherlands. You too can join the trust and imagine yourself as one of the characters in Ransome’s books ‘We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea’ and ‘Secret Water’ in which his yacht is cast at the Goblin. It’s wonderful reading those novels when you are on board.
I can’t help but wonder, how did your acting career help in your writing career? It helps when writing dialogue – and film scripts.
Sophie Neville directing a sequence with BBC cameraman Lorraine Smith
Why the change from acting to writing? As soon as I graduated from university, I went into television production at the BBC in London, where I began writing my first piece for Nicholas Parsons in 1982. I went on to write or edit about seven programmes that I produced when working for BBC Education. I only began writing books and articles in 1999 after turning professional as a wildlife artist. This was useful as I’ve been able to draw on my stock of illustrations including decorative maps, which always look good at the beginning of a book.
You wrote a book, which I am reviewing for the magazine, called The Making of Swallows and Amazons. What was it like revisiting your past in this way?I began writing that particular memoir as a blog using the diaries and scrapbooks that we’d kept on location as children. I was aided by other members of the cast, fans of the film and members of both The Arthur Ransome Society and Arthur Ransome Group on Facebook who helped me with historic detail. Once published, additional stories floated down from Cumbria, which was exciting. It’s now in its second edition and is out as an audiobook. I’ve been gathering information for a third edition and a book about the making of ‘Coot Club’ and ‘The Big Six’, a serial made by the BBC that I worked on behind the camera in 1983. The first three chapters have already been included in the DVD Extras package.
What does a writing day look like for you? I usually wake early, sit up in bed and write for two or three hours before the emails pour in. If possible, I’ll keep writing until lunchtime, but the admin of life tends to encroach on my time.
Let’s get personal, maybe a silly question for a sailor but on holiday do you prefer sea or mountain and why?Ah, you must read my book ‘Ride the Wings of Morning’. I enjoy summer sailing but prefer riding horses through the hills.
If you could go anywhere in the world to write a book where would it be and why? I’ve written most of my books in South Africa where the climate agrees with me. It’s easier to concentrate in the wild.
Sophie Neville at Camp Davidson in the Waterberg
What’s your favourite meal?I’m a Celt – 57% Scottish with a bit of Danish blood. You’ll find me at the seafood bar ordering gravlax followed by a rare steak – preferably from stock reared on the moor.
Do you prefer keyboard or notebook and pen?I work with a notebook and pencil to start with, then bash away at my laptop, which is not good for the posture.
The original diary ~ Funnily Enough by Sophie Neville
Last question, which one of your books do you recommend to Mom’s Favorite Reads readers?I recommend ‘Funnily Enough’, based on a diary I kept about my family and the tame otters we kept. It’s light and amusing but says something about love and friendship. I hope it will inspire others to keep a journal or begin sketching. You’ll find an audiobook and a kindle copy illustrated in colour. I hope it proves a blessing.
You can read more about Wendy H Jones and contact her via her website here
You can find information on where to buy Sophie’s books on this website here
This question is often typed into search engines. Arthur Ransome was living at Low Ludderburn above Windermere when he wrote ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 1929, setting it on ‘The great lake in the north’. Like me, he undoubtedly did a bit of wondering, and was inspired by many of the locations that can be seen from Windermere, envisaging the island Blake Holme as a model for ‘Wild Cat Island’ and Silver Holme as ‘Cormorant Island’ nearby.
Martin Neville aboard MV Tern on Windermere
The ‘native shipping’ on Windermere was brought to life in the 1974 film when the Swallows narrowly miss hitting the MV Tern.
MV Tern on Windermere was built in 1890 with a steam engine, converted to diesel in the 1950s, and is still operating today.
On the deck of the MV Tern on Windermere in 1973 ~ photo: Martin Neville
It was a tricky sequence to shoot and since Swallow lost her wind in the lee of the steamer she only just managed to turn in time.
You can read more about this near disaster in the diary I kept here
My father’s view of Swallow attached to the camera pontoon from his position on MV Tern ~ photo: Martin Neville
The other big scene was shot at Bowness-on-Windermere, referred to as Rio in the story.
Rio – or Bowness-on-Windermere in 1973
Steamboats such as Osprey and the Lady Elizabeth, who is currently residing at Windermere Jetty museum, appeared in the background.
The film crew of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ wait with Swallow and Stephen Grendon at the end of the jetty while Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton and Sophie Neville line up by the launch
Had we arrived in Rio? Arthur Ransome confirmed this in a letter to a young reader:
When the movie was made in the summer of 1973 the original green boat sheds, featured in Ransome’s sequel ‘Swallowdale’ were captured on film.
Is that the steam launch Osprey moored to the jetty?
Kit Seymour who played Nancy was watching the filming. You can just see the original bandstand with period cars parked in the background.
The bandstand and shelter on Glebe Road were also caught on celluloid, along with the traditional Windermere skiffs. You can see more photos of the filming on this website here.
The Price children, Perry Neville, Jane Grendon, Tamzin Neville and Pandora Doyle in their 1929 costumes on the shore of Lake Windermere at Bowness in 1973
The Swallows in Woodland Road, Windermere in 1973
After buying rope for their lighthouse tree in Woodland Road, the Swallows walk down Church Street past the Stags Head Hotel.
John, Susan and Titty walking down to the jetty
Other scenes were shot nearby, with the film opening on a steam train running along the River Leven on Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. You can add details about the locations yourself by contributing to the website Reelstreets which logs film locations in the United Kingdom.
Talking to the engine driver on the first day of filming ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 1973 (Photo: Daphne Neville)
When Richard Pilbrow, the film producer asked Mrs Ransome to point out more, she claimed the Peak at Darrien could be found on Windermere. She may have been thinking of a headland at Waterhead but in the end the opening titles shot was taken from Friar’s Crag on Derwentwater with the Borrowdale Fells in the background. The secret is that the 1974 film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was also shot on Coniston Water, Elterwater and a lily pond near Skelworth Fold.
The Kirkstone Foot Hotel, Ambleside in 1973
In real life, Richard based his production office at the Kirkstone Foot Hotel near Ambleside at the northern tip Windermere and it was from here that we practiced sailing Swallow and Amazon in May 1973. Here is a description written by my twelve-year-old self:
Preparing for filming Swallows and Amazons by sailing on Windermere
Virginia McKenna, who starred in the film as Mrs Walker, was accommodated at the Langdale Chase Hotel on the lake. The wrap party was held there to the great excitement of children in the cast. You can see the view on the hotel website here.
Dame Virginia McKenna on Windermere in 1973 – photo: Philip Hatfield
The 40th Anniversary DVD includes an Extras package on the locations and you can read more in ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’, available online in different editions here or direct from The Lutterworth Press.
David Moran with Sophie Neville in Crossroads for ATV
Nolly – streaming on the new ITVX – features Helena Bonham Carter celebrating the fabulous 1980’s fashions worn by Noele Gordon when she starred as Meg Mortimer in the long-running ATV soap Crossroads. It can be revealed that forty-two years ago, a bright pink and purple polyester costume was being made for me. My real-life sister and I played Kevin Bank’s younger sisters, appearing as bridesmaids when he married Glenda Brownlow in the Spring of 1981.
Glenda Barlow’s wedding to Kevin Banks. We played his younger sisters dressed in pink.
I kept copies of my contracts signed by Margaret French for the three episodes we appeared in . We had a REHEARSAL & RECORDING on 27th March at the ATV Centre in Birmingham, before which I’m sure we had at least one costume fitting. My sister and I had a 7.00am call for Make Up and Wardrobe before an 8.00am Outside Broadcast on Monday 6th April and we shot the wedding scene in episode 3457 on the afternoon on Friday 17th April.
I earned £50.83, less National Insurance and was given £1.70 towards expenses and subsistence, for appearing in three episodes itemised as PROGRAMME TITLE: XROADS EPS3455/6/7 It was much appreciated. I’d only earned £10 for a whole week working as a promotions girl selling Monster Munchies at a wholesale supermarket the year before. My college fees at Durham University, with food and accommodation, were £350 for the term.
We shot one episode at the Barlow family home before being taken to the Church of St Laurence in Alvechurch clutching our fake flowers. A crowd of excited fans began to gather, virtually mobbing Paul Henry who played Benny Hawkins the handyman. He was obliged to scamper through the graveyard, pursued by screaming middle-age ladies in crimplene.
David Moran, Perry Neville, Lynette McMorrough and Peter Hill – 14th May 1981
My sister and I were bemused by the whole experience. I remember being interviewed for the part by a female producer with a pretty cut-and-dried attitude. She stared at my feet, horrified by the summer shoes I was wearing. ‘Never wear white shoes,’ she said as I left the room. ‘They make your feet look large.’
The costume designer rang a week later to ask if we could bring our own white shoes.
We were suddenly centre of attention, part of the growing Banks family. I was ‘taken unawares,’ as Glenda might have said, but am ashamed to say that my motivation was not to rock the nation’s consciousness or promote church weddings, but simply to earn enough to pay for my college fees at Durham University.
I was slightly in awe of the Crossroads cast. They didn’t know me from a flatfish but David Moran was enthusiastically inclusive, hugging us at every opportunity.
Most of the other actors arrived dressed as wedding guests. It should have been a joyful gathering but the atmosphere seemed strained. Noele Gordon, famous for playing Meg Mortimer since 1964, sat in the congregation next to Tony Adams but looked grim. She learned she was to be axed a month later.
Crossroads was well known for being recorded live in studio. I had returned to college by May 1981 when our episodes were broadcast. The ladies serving dinner looked at me and asked how I’d managed to drive up from Birmingham to Durham so quickly. Our sequences on location had been prerecorded.
Here is the actual continuity photo taken at the ATV studios by the costume designer.
I wrote about the floral polyester being somewhat brighter in reality in an article for our university magazine, The Idler, edited by Nick Archer, Charles Stewart-Smith, and Alastair Fothergill whose new book Wild Isles has become a bestseller. Looking back, it must have been my first article I ever published. I wrote another on appearing in the Two Ronnies and began working on the cover design.
How old were you when you first read Arthur Ransome’s books? Did you have a favourite storyline or character?
My father devoured the Swallows and Amazons books as they were published in the 1930s. I was a slow reader but must have started the series aged about ten or eleven as I’d read seven of the twelve by the time we arrived in the Lake District to make the film in 1973. I enjoyed the practical aspects of the books and most readily identified with Mate Susan, although I counted all the characters my friends. Ransome published thirty other books. Some are heavy going, but I enjoyed his autobiography.
Sophie Neville as a child ~ photo: Martin Neville
Have you re-read the books since your childhood? If so, how has your perception of the books and the characters, in particular Titty, changed?
I’ve re-read most of the books in the Swallows and Amazons series and gain something new each time I read Swallows and Amazons, recently appreciating how important Titty’s imagination was to progressing the story. Her ideas take the plot forward. I ended up writing an article on how Swallows and Amazons can be seen as an allegory to missionary work undertaken by Arthur Ransome’s great aunts, one of whom received a Boxer arrow in her bonnet for her efforts in China.
Simon West and Sophie Neville on Peel Island in 1973
Do you think playing Titty influenced your own personality? If so, how?
Titty helped me to look beyond the saucepans and concentrate on creative endeavors rather than getting bogged down by management and administration. Acting in the film instilled in me a work ethic, responsibility and striving for excellence. Looking back, the part was a huge burden to lay on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old but it was worth it. The film has had an enduring quality and is still broadcast today. I find constant interest when I’m in social or sporting situations. For me, it has truly been a case of ‘Swallows and Amazons Forever!’
Sophie Neville as Titty and Stephen Grendon as Roger rowing to Cormorant Island
Do you remember what you wanted to be before you became an actress? Did a writing career ever interest you as a child?
I acted professionally from the age of ten until I was twenty-one, going into television production at the BBC before I became a writer. I’ve also worked as a safari guide, wildlife artist and – thanks to Titty – as a cartographer. You can see a few maps I drew on my website here.
I’ve undertaken quite a bit of charity work, fundraising and acting as webmaster for The Waterberg Trust. I can’t remember having strong career ambitions as a child but knew art to be my strongest subject. I have a visual brain that flits about. Keeping a diary and constant letter writing has helped me develop my writing and has given me a huge quantity of material to draw upon.
Suzanna Hamilton with Sophie Neville as Titty busy writing the ship’s log
What led/inspired you to become a producer?
Claude Whatham was a ground-breaking director who inspired all those around him, but directing became a viable option at Opera Camp, annual amateur productions we took part in over our summer holidays as teenagers. I began directing plays at university and developed a burning desire to direct for television, always ‘looking for the shot.’ By producing documentaries, I got to direct and put them together, editing voice-overs into a narrative arc. I would now like to adapt my own stories for film, so have Final Draft software on my laptop and Witness Films Ltd registered as a UK company, but although I have a couple of ideas out to tender, I’ve been concentrating on polishing my historical novels.
Director Claude Whatham with his cast of Swallows in 1973
I’ve read that before filming Swallows and Amazons, you were in a production of Cider with Rosie. Was playing Titty anything like your experience of playing Eileen Brown?
Claude Whatham directed bother Cider With Rosie (1971) and Swallows and Amazons (1974) so the experience was similar. I also appeared in a Weetabix commercial he made in the Cotswolds. All three productions were set in roughly the same period, but Titty’s costumes, designed by Emma Porteous, were easiest to wear. Cider With Rosie was the most daunting production as I had to play the piano, which required three days of intensive practice. Titty only had to draw, write and row a boat, which was much more my thing.
Titty working on the chart
Working with Virginia McKenna was amazing. Hugely inspirational and one of our most iconic British film actresses, she taught me a great deal – and still does.
Virginia McKenna playing Mother in Swallows and Amazons
What were your favourite and least favourite parts of the filming process?
We loved eating iced buns on set but hated hanging around in the cold. There was a lot of waiting for clouds to pass in the Lake District where I spent days clad in nothing but a thin cotton dress and enormous pair of navy blue gym knickers. I became more interested in the technical aspects of filming rather than acting, which for us children was more a case of ‘Let’s pretend.’
Claude Whatham showing the 16mm camera to Simon West and Sophie Neville. Sue Merry and Denis Lewiston can be seen behind us.
What were your first impressions of the Lake District? Had you ever been to the Lake District before filming Swallows and Amazons?
My parents had taken me to the Lake District as a three-year-old and loved going themselves, so it was a treasured destination in my family. I was dazzled by the lakes and mountains. Holly Howe (Bank Ground Farm) above Coniston Water is a very special place. I love gazing up into the Langdales and walking up into the fells. We were members of the Steam Boat Association, something I have written about in my book,Funnily Enough and I returned over Lockdown to appear in BBC Antiques Roadshow when Swallows and Amazons was profiled.
Sophie Neville aged three in the Lake District
How detailed was the diary you wrote during the filming? Had you ever thought about turning your notes into a book before you were persuaded to write The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons?
I’ve put every page of my diary kept whilst making Swallows and Amazons on my blog at Sophieneville.net/swallowsandamazons My mother kept them, nagging me to write them up for years. Finding the time was difficult but I got there in time for the 40th Anniversary of the film’s release when StudioCanal brought out a DVD with an Extras package we appeared in.
What was the writing process like? eg. challenges
The challenge with adapting a diary is to eliminate inevitable repetition but something extraordinary or disastrous happened everyday whilst filming Swallows and Amazons. With so much filmed afloat or on islands, it was an incredibly difficult production to work on and made a story in itself. I enjoyed finally bringing the book to life and interacting with readers who so kindly sent in reviews and comments. Some love hearing what we all went on to do after the film. One reader did not want to know, but I included this as there were many interesting links and coincidences, especially since I worked on the BBC serialisation of Coot Club and The Big Six.
and favourite moments?
It is very exciting when the first paperbacks arrive. Every author enjoys unpacking that box.
The first edition of The Making of Swallows and Amazons
What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned as a writer?
I never guessed how many times I would need to re-work my books. Each one is read though and edited repeatedly, on and on until it flows well and reads flawlessly. Recording the audiobooks has opened up a whole new world. I narrated them myself, which was far more complicated than I imagined. It’s difficult to digest the fact that I am on Spotify and the audiobookstore. Funnily Enough is selling well on audible.
Do you have any events lined up to promote the book?
Yes, I list the events on my website sophieneville.net/events I’m hoping to be signing copies at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in April and Southampton International Boat Show in September.
I often give illustrated talks on how Swallows and Amazons was made and Q&As at cinema screenings. I’ve begun running workshops on photographing books at literary conferences, which is proving popular.
Giving a talk on how sailing sequences are filmed
Could you tell me a little bit about your other books?
Merry Christmas EveryoneandWrite Wellare anthologies to which I have contributed a chapter. I have written Forewords to four books, including the Czech version of Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome, and Swallows, Amazons and Coots by Julian Lovelock. I have a couple of non-fiction books waiting in the wings including The Secrets of Filming Coot Club. The first three chapters have already been included in DVD extras for the remastered version of the DVD.
Swallows And Amazons Forever! (Coot Club & The Big Six) SPECIAL EDITION [DVD]
Are you currently writing anything, either to do with Arthur Ransome or entirely separate?
I often write articles for magazines, which have connections to Swallows and Amazons, and have completed two historical novels, which are set in East Africa.
Finally, could you tell me about your other pursuits such as your litter picking, art and the combination of the two? Have art and conservation always interested you?
I have always been passionate about wildlife conservation, often giving talks about otters since they are the key indicator species we have been active in protecting as a family. I am taking part in the Race for Reading by litter picking whilst walking the coast to raise funds for the UK literacy charity SchoolReaders. I sometimes make collages out of the rubbish to attract attention to the composition of sea plastic. You can see examples of this and my paintings on Instagram @Sophienevilleauthor
David Wood, the award-winning playwright who adapted ‘Swallows and Amazons’ for the big screen in the early 1970s, wrote to say, “A fan recently reminded me that SWALLOWS, the film, will be celebrating its 50th birthday next year! Hard to believe, but true!”
He’s right. The Royal Gala that launched the film was held at the ABC in Shaftesbury Avenue on 4th April 1974. I still have the dress I wore and found a copy of the programme signed by other children in the cast. You can see photos in post I wrote about it here.
“I couldn’t attend the premiere,” David said, “I was rehearsing in Manchester!” This was a pity as it would have been amazing to watch the first film he’d written on the big screen with members of the cast present.
A signed programme from the premiere of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ held on 4th April 1974
The event was followed by the publisher Kaye Webb’s Puffin Show at The Commonwealth Institute in Kensington High Street where the dinghy Swallow was on display from 9-21st April. I remember going along to meet readers. One of them wrote to me years later, thrilled that she’d won a new copy of the book. You can read her letter and find the Puffin Post article in an earlier post here.
Kaye Webb’s Puffin Club Show – April 1974
“Do you think anyone will do anything to celebrate the anniversary? Are there any producers or distribution companies that might be approached? I am in touch with Richard Pilbrow, in America. I might drop him an email… Let me know if you think we ought to try to do something… a special screening, perhaps?”
When I suggested a few News presenters who might be interested in becoming involved, David replied saying:
“John Sergeant and I were at Oxford together, and performed in revue and cabaret….I directed him in a musical!
“Libby Purves interviewed me a few years ago at The Story Museum, Oxford. I was on Midweek twice too….”
“Have never met Ben Fogle, but years ago I knew his mother, Julia Foster. Her first husband was Lionel Morton, pop singer and Play School presenter, who played Owl for me in the first London production of THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT WENT TO SEE……in 1969!!!!!!”
“I was delighted that Virginia McKenna got her Damehood! Well deserved.”
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of making the film in the Lake District. I explained that I had been invited to give a talk to members of the Royal Thames Yacht Club in Kensington in April, hoping her could join me.
“I will put your April 18th talk in the diary – not sure yet if I will be free to come! But would appreciate you asking if I could attend. Last time I was there I gave a magic show for the members’ children!! About 50 years ago….just like the film!”
“The plans sound exciting. I wonder if the Arthur Ransome Society, to whom I gave a talk not long ago, might be interested in arranging something…”
They are. The idea is to put on an event at Windermere Jetty Museum in July 2024, under the auspices of Lakeland Arts. The Arthur Ransome Society are hoping to have both Swallow and Amazon there.
David then wrote to say: “The Cinema Museum, a rather wonderful institution in the Kennington area of South London, have pencilled Saturday April 6th 2024 for two screenings of SWALLOWS, to celebrate fifty years.” We have been invited to give Q&As and sign copies of our books. “Martin Humphries, who runs the Cinema Museum, organised a similar event about IF…., when I did a Q&A after the screening.”
This year is also the 50th Anniversary of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Steam Railway where we spent the very first day of filming on 14th May 1973.
Sophie Neville 