Cumbria – Sophie Neville

‘My Take’ interviews the author Sophie Neville

Can you tell us when and where you were born?

I arrived two weeks early and was born at home, delivered by my great-grandmother in my parents’ cottage, the Old Bakery in the village of Clent in Worcestershire in 1960. Tell Laura I Love Her and Save the Last Dance For Me were top of the charts.

Sophie Neville as a child ~ photo: Martin Neville

Can you give us background on your parents and what they did for a living?

My father worked in Press and Publicity at BIP where he launched fibre glass boat manufacturing by setting up an experimental workshop in Covent Garden. My mother married on her 21^st birthday just before graduating from RADA. She was in the same year as Susannah York and the playwright Hugh Whitmore, but took a break in her career to get married and have us children.

Painting with my father on the shore of Coniston Water

Do you have any siblings?

I have three little sisters, so I was never lonely. Perry had a small part in the classic HTV series Arthur of The Britains and later played the teacher in Bernard’s Watch. Tamzin had leading roles in six television productions playing Elka in Arthur of the Britons, Anthea in The Phoenix and the Carpet and Linda in Love in a Cold Climate with Judi Dench and Michael Aldridge playing her parents.

My mother playing mother and Tamzin as Anthea in *The Phoenix and the Carpet*

My adopted sister Mary-Dieu suffered from polio as a baby so was in hospital a lot or on crutches, but appeared as a film extra in Abide With Me and the wartime drama Tenko, which she enjoyed.

Where were you schooled and were you academic?

I am a visual learner and could have gone to art college but concentrated on English, history and geography, going on to read anthropology with ethnography and psychology, subjects I draw on continuously as a writer. The most useful subject I took at university was cartography. All the best books contain maps and I draw my own.

Swallows and Amazons map of Coniston Water

Did you have any early career aspirations and did you go onto further education?

I went to the University of Durham, where I made wonderful friends including Alastair Fothergill who produced Our Planet and most of Sir David Attenborough’s iconic serials, along with a number of wildlife movies for Disney. I missed my viva – an oral aspect of my Finals – because I opted to go filming in the Charmague, but would you turn down that opportunity? We went on to film in Kenya and recce locations in Zaire and Uganda.

Alastair Fothergill making ‘Wildlife on One’ at Lake Nakuru ~ photo: Sophie Neville

Where did your creative flair and love for acting and writing come from?

We are all born to create. There are times when I have been tempted to take a more managerial path but I feel called to write, so that’s what I do.

Sophie Neville with some of the books she has written

Did you come from a creative family?

My father loved design concepts and developed products with his team at work, notably the cable tie. You find them everywhere now. My mother has always held a burning desire to act and brought out a children’s book in the 1980s, which is still in print. I feel she has more talent as a writer than an actress but she loves the social aspect of filming. At the age of 85, she appeared in Top Boy and was involved in filming The Repair Shop when they visited Denville Hall, the actors’ retirement home in November 2025.

Daphne Neville and Christopher Plumber in Diagnosis Murder — Daphne Neville with Christopher Lee in ‘Diagnosis Murder’

How did you manage to get your lucky break as an actress?

I was able to play the piano. I took my music along, practiced seven or eight hours a day, and did what I was told.

Sophie Neville playing Elieen Brown in the BBC adaptation of ‘Cider with Rosie’

Can you recall your first acting credit?

As a child, I appeared as a film extra in classic drama serials such as The Changes and Arthur of the Britons but gained my first acting credit as Eileen Brown in the BBC play Cider With Rosie, adapted by Hugh Whitmore. I had my hair chopped off for my first movie, and went on to act in a few more productions.

Sophie Neville having her hair cut on location for the part of Titty Walker in 1973

Your C.V. covers several areas including behind the scenes television and film related roles. Let’s start at the beginning of your career and find out what inspired you to become an actress and did you have any early influences?

I wasn’t so much inspired as simply offered an amazing opportunity, which is exceptionally rare. I was invited to an interview to appear in an adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s book, Swallows and Amazons when I was aged twelve. Of all the parts in all the books, I was asked if I would like to play Titty. How could I turn that down? I loved the Lake District, enjoyed camping and was happy in a boat. I did it for fun.

Swallows and Amazons is a classic family film released in 1974. Can you tell us about your experiences working on the film? What are your overriding memories and what does the film mean to you personally?

It proved hard work and involved a lot of hanging around in the cold, but I loved the period aspect and thrived spending time outdoors on location. Filming on Derwentwater was amazing. We had our own desert island, pine trees to climb and a houseboat to attack. Making Ronald Fraser walk the plank was fun. He did it rather well.

Cormorant Island - Sophie Neville as Titty filming 'Swallows and Amazons' 1973 — Sophie Neville as Titty on Cormorant Island ~ photo: Daphne Neville

You’ve written two books on your experiences of working on Swallows and Amazons: The Making of Swallows and Amazons and The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons. What made you decide to write two books on the film and were your memories still fresh and vivid when recounting the stories?

I had the amazing cine footage that my parents took behind-the-scenes on location that they BBC put on a DVD when they made Countryfile and Big Screen Britain, presented by Ben Fogle. I’d already set up my own publishing company and was employing a formatter who suggested we brought The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons as a multi-media ebook, including this unique footage and my parents photos (that you would never be allowed to take on location these days). This did so well as an ebook that it was picked up by the publisher Classic TV Press. They gained permission to add official stills from the film and brought it out as a large paperback with colour plates entitled The Making of Swallows and Amazons. It was then bought by The Lutterworth Press who re-designed it in 2017.

How were your books on Swallows and Amazons received by fans and critics?

Each edition had been received with huge enthusiasm. I had terrific publicity in the Times, Telegraph and Daily Mail and am hugely appreciative of all the book reviews left by readers online. I didn’t want to spoil the magic of the film but nearly fifty years have passed since it first came out and fans like to visit the locations. I’ve included maps and all the information needed to find them.

Can I ask your take on the film’s fanbase, how it’s regularly shown and embraced by new audiences? What do you think is the film’s overall appeal?

Being a family classic, as you say, it has become generational. People who originally watched it in the cinema in 1974 want their children and children’s children to see it. When an audience of 250 piles into a cinema to see the re-mastered version, you can appreciate what an amazing landscape movie it is. The humour is drawn out when you watch it with an audience, which is wonderful and you emerge from the auditorium feeling elated.

You’ve appeared in several classic television serials and programmes: Crossroads, The Two Ronnies and Cider With Rosie. What are your memories from working on those shows and did that exposure lead to other opportunities?

I didn’t realise that Ronnie Baker directed the Two Ronnies, or at least the Charley Farley and Piggy Malone serial with in it. He inspired me to direct comedy. I adored working with him and only wish we’d done more together. He had me for an informal interview on location one lunchtime. I blew it, but did end up directing a bit of comedy at the BBC.

Ronnie Corbet with Sophie Neville filming ‘The Two Ronnies’

6. Who have you enjoyed working with the most in front and behind the camera? Have any of your colleagues acted as mentors and have you gained greater knowledge about the industry from any of them?

So many! Suzanna Hamilton and Anthony Calf are the actors I’d want to work with again. They brought out the best in me. Claude Whatham was the mentor who advised me before I went for my first interview to work in television production. He said, ‘Filming is all about using your time well.’ Writers are wonderful about sharing every tiny piece of knowledge but my own formatter Lisa Skullard mentored me on new technology, for which I am grateful.

7. What made you decide to make the transition from an actress to a behind-the scenes member?

Even as a child I was more interested in the logistics and production side of making dramas.

Can you talk about some of the projects you’ve worked on including being an assistant floor manager of EastEnders, My Family and Other Animals, Bluebell, Doctor Who along with your directing and producing credits?

I was very fortunate to work in BBC Drama Series and Serials at the very zenith of production in the 1980s. It was such a privilege to work on My Family and Other Animals as it was made entirely on location in Corfu. I helped cast the little boy and did the research, interviewing Gerald Durrell, who came out on location with his lovely wife Lee Durrell. I carried out the historical and film research on Miss BlueBell’s life and met her in Paris where we filmed one summer. I also worked on the zoo vet series One by One, and became a location manager on Rockcliffe’s Babies. Producing my own series, INSET, shot in Cumbria, Wiltshire and Sheffield was unforgettable. I had such a good team and we were in a position to do ground-breaking work.

Sophie Neville not at 10 Downing Street but on the lot at Elstree Studios — At Elstree Studios for the BBC Drama Directors’ studio course. I am wearing a green sweater.

You are an award-winning writer with several books to your credit. What made you decide to become a published author and of the books you’ve written, which are you most proud of and why?

Writing Funnily Enough was a huge challenge. I felt I was laying my whole life out before the world. It’s a dark comedy. As all the stories expose my friends and family, I opted to self publish so that I could make changes. My brother-in-law was working in Libya and I didn’t want him to be shot. In the end I was only asked to change the name of a town and the names of three characters. I’ve changed them back now. My brother-in-law now regularly talks about his book on Libya on Sky Television.

Funnily Enough – the paperback with black and white illustrations

9. How does the creative writing process work for you? How long does it take you to prepare and plan a book and do you have a set time for writing?

I need at least two years to write, edit and develop a novel, even though I put in about eight hours work a day. I often start at 6.30am and am a complete work-aholic. Only other writing, such as articles, and inevitable admin get in the way. My husband has to do the shopping.

Ride the Wings of Morning by Sophie Neville — A travel book with a difference

We’ve spoken about the many areas and capacities you’ve worked in: Acting, a floor manager, a researcher, producer, director and a published author. Do you have a favourite discipline and if so, why?

I loved every aspect of directing – felt as if I was flying – but you need huge stamina and total application. My husband needs me at home, so writing is an easier career path to follow although I travel quite a bit giving talks and conducting research.

11. Away from your creative endeavours, can we discuss some of your other loves and interests: Anthropology, your love of animals, charity work and archery.

My family have kept tame otters for almost forty years, hand-rearing abandoned babies and lecturing on conservation. I am now Patron of the UK Wild Otter Trust. I emigrated to southern Africa in 1992 and ended up volunteering on a number of projects, helping to set up a charity to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. One million people still die from AIDS every year. We continue to run HIV prevention and awareness in schools, employing a nurse to care for those on anti-retrovirals and keep an eye on the orphans, many of whom are in their teens.

I learnt to shoot with a long bow on the set of Swallows and Amazons. This was pivotable as it led to a leading role in an adventure movie, The Copter Kids, with Sophie Ward and Vic Armstrong. The sport also introduced me to my husband. He was Chairman of the archery society my parents belonged to.

Sophie with her husband on the coast of South Africa

Can I also ask you what made you decide to emigrate to South Africa and can you tell us about your 12-years living there?

You’ll have to read my books, ‘Funnily Enough’ and ‘Ride the Wings of Morning’. Every details lies within the pages.

Final Questions to Finish Interview

1. What’s your favourite past time? Walking along beaches

2. What’s your favourite film and why? I have to admit that Swallows and Amazons (1974) is a nostalgia trip for me. It’s been described as ‘mesmerizing’.

3. Who’s your favourite novelist? Karen Rosario Ingerslev

4. If you could have had a different profession what would it have been? Mother

5. Who has been your greatest inspiration in life? Jesus

6. Do you read a newspaper? If so which one? The Telegraph

7. What’s your favourite food? Black cherries

8. Who is your favourite cultural icon? Virginia McKenna

9. What’s your favourite curse word and why? I try not to swear

10. What’s your favourite place or holiday destination? The Okavango Delta

11. Who is your favourite music artist and what’s your favourite album? Cat Stevens greatest hits

12. What’s your greatest achievement to date? Publishing Funnily Enough and finishing my historical novels.

13. How do you wish to be remembered? As an inspiration to others.

Memories of sailing Swallow and Amazon more than fifty years ago

“The smell is just the same.” Suzanna Hamilton began rowing me across Coniston Water from Bank Ground Farm, taking us back to childhood days.

“It sounds the same.” The colours, the landscape, the feeling of being out on the water was still magical.

Suzanna Hamilton and Sophie Neville at Coniston Water in the Lake District

As girls, Suzanna and I had appeared as Mate Susan and Able seaman Titty in Richard Pilbrow’s original film of Swallows and Amazons, adapted by David Wood and released in cinemas on 4^th April 1974. It starred Dame Virginia McKenna and Ronald Fraser but it was the two of us who were invited to return to the film locations in 2003 to be interviewed by Ben Fogle for an episode of the long-running BBC series Country File. Thanks to sunshiny weather and the support of Geraint and Helen Lewis, his report proved so successful that it was repeated on Country Tracks and featured in the series Big Screen Britain alongside iconic landscape movies such as The Dam Busters and Whistle Down the Wind.

We had been talking about swimming off Peel Island soon after we began filming Swallows and Amazons in the Lake District in May 1973. The director, Claude Whatham, was fresh from making a BAFTA nominated adaptation of Cider With Rosie when he cast Sten Grendon as young Laurie Lee, and the rock-and-roll movie That’ll Be The Day starring David Essex and Ringo Starr. Although happy out on the water, he knew little about boats. The producer, Richard Pilbrow, had insisted on finding children who could sail well rather than audition young actors and teach them to sail, and advertised the opportunity in sailing clubs. This was pivotal. Simon West (who played John), Kit Seymour (Nancy) and Lesley Bennett (Peggy) all had experience with a natural feeling for the wind and emanated confidence. They were only given a couple of days to get used to sailing the little boats used as Swallow and Amazon before filming began and yet their skill ended up making the film a classic.

Dame Virginia McKenna bids the Swallows farewell — Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies

We had instruction from a sailing director in the form of a good looking actor called David Blagden. He’d recently crossed the Atlantic in a nineteen foot yacht called Willing Griffin but was unfamiliar with blustery Lakeland winds and did not know how to break down a script. Simon, aged eleven, ended up explaining to Claude how to get a decent shot. Suzanna took her lead from him and I clung to the gunwales, trying hard not to shiver in a costume designed by Emma Porteous that consisted of no more than a short yellow dress and enormous pair of navy blue gym knickers.

It was unusual for a movie to feature so many scenes set in two small boats. Mike Turk, whose family had been building boats since 1295, and Nick Newby of Nicol End Marine on Derwentwater, took up the challenge of constructing Claude a cross-shaped pontoon to act as a mobile camera mount so that our dialogue could be captured. This extraordinary vessel had two outboards but wasn’t easy to handle. The dinghies were wired to it with underwater cables but tended to pull away. The base to Swallow’s mast broke, proving safety was an issue, but the idea eventually worked.

Richard Pilbrow and his film crew on the camera pontoon

A grey punt was also used. I remember Simon West towing it as he rowed us into Rio. It was easy to transport from one lake to another but must have been tippy. Somehow David Cadwallader, the grip, managed to keep the horizon horizontal using no more than a spirit level. Shadows were lifted from our faces by using huge reflector boards apt to catch the wind. It must have been impossible to use filler lights out on the water, although they somehow managed to power a number of sets on Peel Island.

Sophie Neville in the *Amazon* with DOP Denis Lewiston, his 16mm camera and a reflector board ~ photo: Martin Neville

Richard Pilbrow kindly sent me Swallow’s pennant from his home in America. Unlike Ransome’s original sketch of the crossed flags, the bird flies away from the mast, which is technically incorrect, but I was thrilled to receive the genuine film prop used in vision. If you look closely you can see some of the stitches I made whilst in conversation with Mother, played by Virginia McKenna.

It would have been good if Swallow’s hull had been painted white in line with illustrations in the books. Her varnished planks are a nod to the 1970’s when everyone was busy stripping pine, but the important detail is that she has a keel rather than a centerboard. It makes her difficult to turn, and markedly slower than Amazon, but grants her stability. This feature may have saved us when we really did just miss colliding with the MV Tern on Windermere, which alarmed my father who was on the Tern’s deck. He knew how difficult Swallow would be to turn with the larger vessel taking our wind. We were fully laden with camping gear and yet totally lacking buoyancy of any kind.

Simon West as Captain John sailing Swallow. Sten Grendon plays the Boy Roger

One secret of filming Swallows and Amazons is that it was set on four different lakes, a smelly lily pond that served as Octopus Lagoon, and Mrs Batty’s barn where night sailing sequences were shot with Swallow mounted on a cradle. One challenging scene was when the Swallows were cast off from Wild Cat Island to sail north to the Amazon River, leaving Titty behind to light the lanterns. I slipped underwater whilst pushing her free of branches overhanging the landing place but regained my footing and waved them off. Simon caught ‘a fair wind’ but the boom swung so far out that Suzanna held the mainsheet by the figure-of-eight knot and Swallow sped up Coniston Water like a ‘pea in a peashooter’, as Ransome wrote in Winter Holiday. A gust hit them broadside as they cleared the island and Swallow gybed, but Simon calmly stood to catch the boom, scarified the wind and took her on up the lake. Watching the sequence still brings tears to my eyes.

Simon West and Suzanna Hamilton at the helm of Swallow with Stephen Grendon in the bows, while Sophie Neville looks on from the shore of Peel Island

No one had given much consideration to the rowing involved in the story. Built as a run-about boat by William King of Burnham-on-Crouch, Swallow has two sets of rowlocks but it was tricky to keep time when she was wired to the camera pontoon. The first scene attempted was when the Boy Roger and I had to row her back from the charcoal burners with Susan at the tiller.

Sophie Neville rowing to Cormorant Island — Sophie Neville as Titty and Stephen Grendon as Roger rowing to Cormorant Island

We rowed again on Derwentwater, making our way out to Cormorant Island to look for the treasure. It took everything in me, but I later managed to row Amazon out of Secret Harbour in one take at the end of a long day filming. The action was repeated with Denis Lewiston, the lighting-cameraman, and his 35mm Panavision camera in the stern. Cold, with wet feet, I completed the scene but had to be carried ashore by a frogman acting as the safety officer. Titty later anchors Amazon off Cormorant Island on Derwentwater, but the shot of her wrapped in the sail, sleeping aboard, was taken in the darkened barn at Bank Ground Farm. The fishing scenes were recorded on Elterwater with Swallow moored near the reedbeds.

Sophie Neville as Titty and Simon West as John appearing on the cover of 'Swallows and Amazons' — Sophie Neville as Titty and Simon West as John

My one regret is that we didn’t follow the book when sailing the captured Amazon back to Wild Cat Island. The wind was up and Claude Whatham needed Simon to sail Swallow ahead of the Amazon which was lashed to the pontoon. I originally took the tiller as Titty is urged to in the story, but had trouble with the rudder and Susan is at the helm on the cover of the paperbacks brought out to accompany the film and a DVD distributed by the Daily Mail.

I was somewhat surprised to see Swallow outside Elstree Studios where we went to post-sync the film. They set up a tank on the sound stage so that Bill Rowe, the dubbing editor who was to win an Oscar for The Last Emperor, could capture the sounds so taken for granted and yet so evocative of handling wooden boats. I was concerned that she’d been given away (and she nearly was) but, as Richard Pilbrow made plans to adapt other Ransome books, she was sent to Mike Turk’s warehouse in Twickenham and stored with maritime props such as the Grand Turk, a replica of HMS Indefatigable, built in 1996 in Turkey for Hornblower.

When Mike’s collection was eventually auctioned in 2010 I was alerted, first by my father, then by Magnus Smith. We found Swallow’s details online, took one look at the photos and clubbed together to purchase her, launching SailRansome at the 2011 London Boat Show. The idea that others could go out in her with an experienced skipper was greeted by John McCarthy who recorded the sounds of sailing Swallow for Paddling With Peter Duck, his programme made for BBC Radio 4.

Peter Willis in the Nancy Blackett with John McCarthy

The Arthur Ransome Society now own both historic dinghies. Rupert Maas valued Swallow highly when she appeared on BBC Antiques Roadshow in 2021.Everyone gasped but her true worth is akin to Captain Flint’s hidden treasure: instead of gold ingots his trunk contained precious memories that no doubt kept him on course when the storms of life blew in. Just as Arthur Ransome’s books grant us solace, my prayer is that many will be able to grab the chance of sailing the little boats that take us into the stories immortalized on film so long ago.

Back in 1974, none of us knew that Amazon had been used in the BBC adaptation of Swallows and Amazons made just eleven years previously and broadcast in 1963. I met the White family when they brought Amazon from Kent to Cumbria to feature in Country File. Ben Fogle had found their twin daughters on Peel Island, looking very much like Nancy and Peggy in damp bathing costumes having been swimming in the lake. It has been extremely generous of them to enable other families to sail such a precious boat.

Not so very long ago, a few TARS joined me at Keswick for a talk and screening of Swallows and Amazons at the Alhambra cinema when we grabbed the chance to go aboard the Lady Derwentwater. Nick Newby explained how she had been decommissioned in 1973 to appear as Captain Flint’s houseboat. Her temporary conversion was overseen by Ian Whittaker, the set dresser who went on to be nominated for a number of awards and won an Oscar in 1993 for his work on Howard’s End. The Lady Derwentwater has since been given a new stern but is in good shape, back in her role as a passenger launch.

The mfp Vinyl LP of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ with Sophie Neville and Simon West bringing Swallow into her harbour

Arthur Ransome was taught to sail on Coniston Water by the Collingwoods in a boat they kept below Lane Head, now known as Swallow I. People often ask if the original Swallow II, a sea-going dingy with a standing lugsail built by William Crossfield, and sailed by the Ransomes, is still around. After being kept on a mooring in Bowness Bay, where she was looked after by a boatman called John Walker, she was sold in September 1935 and sadly ‘vanished without a trace’.

The Amazon, originally named Mavis, and also sailed by the Altounyan family, now resides in the John Ruskin Museum at Coniston where she can be visited much like a great aunt. Ransome’s dinghy Coch-y-bonddhu or Cocky, the model for Scarab in his books, restored and owned by TARS, is on display at Windermere Jetty, the museum where the fourteen foot RNSA dinghies used in the 2016 movie of Swallows and Amazons have been moored. A few of the steamboats used to dress the scenes set at Bowness-on-Windermere or Rio in 1973, such as Osprey and George Pattinson’s launch Lady Elizabeth, may be in residence. They are currently restoring the SL Esperance used by Ransome as his model for the houseboat.

Swallows And Amazons Forever! (Coot Club & The Big Six) SPECIAL EDITION [DVD]

In 1983, I worked behind-the-scenes on the BBC drama serial of Coot Club and The Big Six (and wrote Extras for the DVD titled Swallows and Amazons Forever! ) We spent three months filming on the Broads, using the four-berth gaff sloop Lullaby to play the Teasel, a vintage dinghy for Titmouse and a punt for Tom Dudgeon’s Dreadnaught. They have all been kept at Hunter’s Yard, near Ludham in Norfolk where you can hire classic boats. While exploring the Broads you can track down the Death and Glory, Janca, used to play the Hullabaloo’s Margoletta, and the wherry Albion used for Sir Garnet along with yachts like Pippa that were also featured in the serial. Hopefully, Arthur Ransome’s ‘good little ship’ the Nancy Blackett, bought with his ‘Spanish gold’ or royalties, will one day star as Goblin in a film adaptation of We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Swallows and Amazons (1974) sepia film poster (c) StudioCanal — Arnaldo Putzu’s poster for the EMI film Swallows and Amazons (1974)

Half a century has passed since the original film Swallows and Amazons first came out in cinemas, the good little ships featured sailing improably on the poster. Thanks go to Magnus Smith, Rob Boden, Diana Wright, Marc Grimston, and all those who have looked after and lovingly restored the inspirational boats that appeared in the movie. They mean so much to so many. Three million cheers to those at The Arthur Ransome Society who are working with Hunters Yard in Ludham to make both little ships available for hire in 2025 .

Amazon will soon be available to hire at Hunter's Yard, Ludham — Amazon will soon be available to hire at Hunter’s Yard, Ludham

If all goes to plan, you will be able to take them out. When you do, smell the freshness for me. Stroke the varnish, take in the feel of the ropes, the weight of the oars. It may be chilly, but that too is part of the experience of liaising with old boats out on the water.

You can read more in ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974)’ now available as an audiobook narrated by Sophie Neville

Neville C Thompson

Neville Thompson acted as the online producer on the 1974 film of Swallows and Amazons. He choose an excellent crew and took daily responsibility for scheduling the production on location in the Lake District and later at Elstree Studios where the film was edited and post-synced.

Neville was born in Ipswich in 1933. Although gregarious at times, he was a quiet man who was once a maths teacher in Scotland. He had five children to support, but decided to go to RADA and become an actor. When a pair of twins came along he moved the family to Croyden and went into film production. He began work as a location manager for Mike Newell and became a production manager for Ken Russell.

Richard Pilbrow gained the rights and film finance for ‘Swallows and Amazons’ but came from a background in theatre and knew nothing about film production. He asked Neville to help set everything up.

Neville C Thomas (top centre) with Richard Pilbrow, Claude Whatham et al

Neville came to Burnham-on-Crouch for our sailing audition when the dinghy ‘Swallow’ must have been purchased from the boatbuilders William King.

The Production Team on 'Swallows and Amazons' in 1973 — Second Assistant Terry Needham, Associate Producer Neville C Thompson and Production Manager Graham Ford with the unit radio on a sunny day in June 1973

Neville was passionate about film making, becoming known as ‘the last gentleman producer.’ He would have been the one making the executive decisions, the man ultimately in charge of the schedule, personnel, safety, insurance and bringing the film in on budget.

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

His daughter, Mandy, told me that he was a wonderful Dad but had been away a lot. ‘He had eight children in nine years and was keen for them to make their own way in the world.’ Mandy became an occupational therapist, George became a ballet dancer, Chris Thompson went into film making. Neville was diagnosed with Lukemia at the age of 47 but lived another twenty years, ending his days in Woodbridge in Suffolk.

Neville Thompson relaxing on set – photo taken on Sunday 24th July 1973, by Daphne Neville

Neville established a production office at the unit hotel on Windermere. By the time he reached the location he was often exhausted. Everything he’d set up was in motion so, like an experienced parent, he could relax and enjoy the boats.

Richard Pilbrow and Neville Thompson ~ photo:Daphne Neville

When Neville died in Woodbridge in Suffolk at the age of sixty-nine in 2002, Richard told me that ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was broadcast on television as if in his honour.

You can find an impressive list of Neville C Thompson’s production credits on IMDb here

Sophie Neville with Sten Grendon, Jane Grendon, Claude Whatham and Neville Thompson — Sophie Neville looks on as Stephen Grendon organises his costume helped by Jane Grendon with Claude Whatham and Neville C Thompson when filming pick up shots near Epsom.

You can find details of how to purchase ‘The making of Swallows and Amazons’ here on line or listen to it on audible and other audiobook platforms.

The audiobook of 'The Making of Swallows and Amazons' — The new audiobook

What are your favourite lines from the 1974 film ‘Swallows and Amazons?’ Screenwriter Brian Sibley’s hilarious Q&A with the cast of the classic movie made in location in the Lake District 50 years ago.

On 6th April, the original cast of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) gathered to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the film’s release in London with David Wood who wrote the script.

It was unexpectedly amusing as can be seen in this recording kindly brought to us by Lee Pressmen and volunteers of the Cinema Museum where the original movie was shown before we were invited on stage by Brian Sibley.

The cast of 'Swallows and Amazons' (1974) gathered for the 50th Anniversary - photo Lee Pressman of the Cinema Museum — Brian Sibley talks to Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton, Sophie Neville, Sten Grendon, Kit Seymour and screenwriter David Wood – photo Lee Pressman of the Cinema Museum

As soon as self-confessed ‘super fans’ arrived, the venue began to buzz with the question, “What was your favourite line from the film?”

“They’ve got India rubber necks.”

“They’re girls!”

“… must be a retired pirate. He’s working on his devilish plans.”

Sten Grendon, who played Roger, said it was undoubtedly: “I said – ‘Yes’.”

I’ve always liked: “X marks the spot where they ate six missionaries.” Although I often use, “Here we are, intrepid explorers making the first ever voyage into unchartered waters,” I think “I’ve got her. I’ve got her!” is the most appealing.

One viewer on Instagram claimed their favourite line was: “Titty that way.”

What is your favourite line?

Do add your line to the Comments below.

A recording of Brian’s interview with the screenwriter David Wood can be watched on this website here.

Photos of the event can be found on an earlier post on this website here.

For those who couldn’t make it to the Cinema Museum in London, here is a brief profile:

Speaking about 50th Anniversary of the classic film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ on Radio Calon this Thursday 29th August at 9.00pm

Sophie Neville spoke to Luke Durnell on Screen Facts, his hour of music from the big screen, on Thursday 29th August at 9.00pm.

Catch up on recent Radio Calon broadcasts via their website – with further details on how to listen here

The full ‘ship’s log’ relating to the adventures we had making the film can be found in the illustrated paperback published by The Lutterworth Press or ebook entitled ‘The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons’. This can be downloaded this onto your phone and used as a guide book if you can grab a chance to visit the locations.

I captured the Amazon

I CAPTURED THE AMAZON

The Arthur Ransome Society has been able to reunite Swallow and Amazon for the fiftieth Anniversary of the 1974 film and to preserve them for future generations. Come to see them both – and even sail Amazon – at Windermere Jetty museum in Cumbria on 29th and 30th June when John Sergeant will be hosting a Q&A with the cast and crew.

Celebrating 50th Anniversary of the movie 'Swallows and Amazons' in 2024 — Celebrating 50th Anniversary of the movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 2024

The challenge is on to fully restore Swallow so that families can set her sails and live out the pages of Arthur Ransome’s iconic books today.

Sophie Neville when president of The Arthur Ransome Society

At the age of twelve, I was cast as Able Seaman Titty when the original film Swallows and Amazons was made on location in the Lake District in the summer of 1973. Dame Virginia McKenna played my mother and the six of us children had fun making Ronald Fraser walk the plank. Now hailed as a classic sailing film, I’m assured it has been broadcast on British television more times than any other movie and is currently streaming on Amazon.com and Netflix Europe.

'Swallows and Amazons' on VHS — The cover of the original VHS version of ‘Swallows and Amazons’

One secret is that the film was made on four different lakes – Coniston Water, Windermere, Elterwater, Derwentwater – and a smelly lily pond. We were able to use Bank Ground Farm as Holly Howe and Brown Howe as Beckfoot, home to the Amazon pirates who careened their dinghy on the lake shore in the company of a 45-man film crew from Pinewood Studios.

David Blagden, David Cadwallader, and David Bracknell looking at the Amazon’s bottom with DPO Denis Lewiston in the background with the Panasonic

Careening the Amazon at Brown Howe, Coniston Water – photo: Daphne Neville

We were only given a couple of days to get used to handling Swallow and Amazon before filming began. Although happy out on the water, the director, Claude Whatham, knew little about boats. To make up for this, we had instruction from a sailing director in the form of a good-looking actor called David Blagden who presented a television programme called Plain Sailing. He’d recently raced crossed the Atlantic in a nineteen foot yacht called Willing Griffin but was unfamiliar with blustery Lakeland winds and did not know how to break down a script. Simon West, aged eleven, who played Captain John, ended up explaining to Claude how to get a decent shot while I tried not to shiver. My costume was designed by Emma Porteous of James Bond fame but consisted of nothing more than a short yellow dress and an enormous pair of navy-blue gym knickers.

Amazon, flying the Jolly Roger, with her seamed white lugsail and heavy centerboard is a lovely boat to sail. Although vital to the story, no one took into account that I needed to take her, on my own, from Secret Harbour on Wild Cat Island and drop her anchor off Cormorant Island. I was given a grey cardigan to wear but had not been asked if I could row. Having grown up handling a Thames skiff, I managed to use the leading lights we’d set up to negotiate the narrow channel and threatening rocks in one take. I repeated the action with Dennis Lewiston, the lighting-cameraman, and his 35mm Panavision camera in the stern but grew so tired that I needed to be carried ashore by a frogman acting as our safety officer.

Sophie Neville having captured the Amazon, with the lighting cameraman and 35mm Panavision Camera in her stern. Swallow is moored alongside – photo: Martin Neville

Titty later anchors Amazon off Cormorant Island on Derwentwater, but the shot of her wrapped in the sail, sleeping aboard, was taken in Mrs Batty’s blacked-out barn at Bank Ground, with the boat rocking on a cradle made by the unit carpenter. This was for a night scene when Titty is disturbed by burglars hiding a heavy trunk that turns out to contain Captain Flint’s treasure. When the action was repeated out on Derwentwater near One Tree Island, I got soaked. Rain had collected in the furled sails.

My one regret is that we didn’t follow the book when sailing the Amazon back to Wild Cat Island. The wind was up and Claude Whatham needed Captain John to sail Swallow ahead of the Amazon which is the faster boat. I originally took the tiller, as Titty is urged to in the story, but had trouble with the rudder. Mate Susan, played by Suzanna Hamilton, is at the helm on the cover of the Puffin paperback brought out to accompany the film, whilst I am fending off.

One of the film stills taken from the pontoon was used on the cover of the Puffin edition of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ brought out in 1974 to accompany the film.

The second part of the scene was shot on Coniston Water, with the Amazon Pirates, Nancy and Peggy ‘dancing with rage’ on Peel Island. A shot of this was used on the cover of a hardback and a DVD distributed by the Daily Mail.

Not many sailing films have been made and it was unusual for a movie to feature so many scenes set in two small dinghies. Mike Turk, whose family had been boat building for centuries, and Nick Newby of Nicol End Marine near Keswick, took up the challenge of adapting a cross-shaped pontoon to act as a mobile camera mount so that our dialogue could be recorded. This extraordinary vessel had two outboards but wasn’t easy to handle. The dinghies were wired to it with underwater cables but tended to pull away. Swallow’s mast broke the first time she was rigged, but the idea eventually worked and only Sten Grendon, playing Roger, fell in.

Amazon rigged up to the camera pontoon – photo: Richard Pilbrow

Somehow David Cadwallader, the grip looking after the camera equipment, managed to keep the horizon horizontal using no more than a spirit level on the tripod. Shadows were lifted from our faces by using reflector boards and, since the whole movie was post-synced at Elstree Studios, the audience can hear what we say.

Richard Pilbrow and his film crew on the camera pontoon with Eddie Collins operating the 16mm camera. Simon West and Stephen Grendon sail Swallow. Suzanna Hamilton is climbing aboard the Amazon with Sophie Neville

Filming Swallow and Amazon from the camera pontoon – photo: Daphne Neville

Sophie Neville on the pontoon during the filming of 'Swallows and Amazons' — The pontoon on Derwentwater with Richard Pilbrow, Bobby Sitwell, Denis Lewiston, Claude Whatham, David Cadwalader and Sophie Neville aged 12 playing Titty. Eddie Collins looks on ~ photo: Daphne Neville

Sophie Neville on the camera pontoon on Derwentwater – photo: Daphne Neville

The first Amazon, a chunky sea-going fourteen-footer with a standing lugsail purchased in Barrow-in-Furness by the Altounyan family in 1928, was originally called Mavis. After being restored, she was renamed Amazon in line with Ransome’s books but remains too leaky to take out. She now resides in the John Ruskin Museum at Coniston where she can be visited like a great aunt.

None of us children knew that the Amazon we sailed had been used in the 1963 BBC adaptation of Swallows and Amazons made in black and white with Susan George playing ‘Kitty’ as Titty was renamed. Looking at the photographs, it would have been good if Amazon’s hull had been painted black but her varnished planks are a nod to the 1970s when everyone was busy stripping pine.

By 2003, she was owned by the White family who I met when they brought Amazon from Kent to Cumbria to feature in Countryfile and an episode of Big Screen Britain. Ben Fogle met their twin daughters on Peel Island, looking very much like Nancy and Peggy in damp bathing costumes having been swimming in Coniston Water. It has been extremely generous of them to pass such a precious boat on to The Arthur Ransome Society.

Amazon at Hunters Yard – photo: Marc Grimston

Amazon is currently being kept at Hunter’s Yard near Ludham where you can apply to sail her on the Norfolk Broads, along with the Titmouse and the Teasle, (a cabin cruiser called Lullaby) and a punt called the Dreadnaught featured in the 1984 BBC adaptation of Coot Club. Swallow is also there under restoration, needing a new keel.

Amazon being restored at Hunter's Yard, Ludham — Amazon being restored at Hunter’s Yard, Ludham

Amazon at Hunters Yard – photo: Marc Grimston

The plan is for both Swallow and Amazon to be on display at Windermere Jetty in Cumbria for the weekend of 29^th & 30^th June 2024. We hope some of the steamboats used to dress the Rio scenes set at Bowness-on-Windermere such as Osprey and George Pattinson’s launch Lady Elizabeth can be in attendance. Windermere Jetty is currently restoring the steam launch Esperance used by Ransome as his model for Captain Flint’s houseboat, and you can find the fourteen-foot RNSA dinghies used in the 2016 movie of Swallows and Amazons moored in the wet dock.

In 2021, everyone at Windermere Jetty gasped when Rupert Maas valued Swallow highly on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, but the true worth of both Swallow and Amazon is akin to Captain Flint’s hidden treasure: instead of gold ingots his trunk contained precious memories of friendship and adventure. They no doubt kept him on course when the storms of life blew in and gave him plenty to write about. Just as Arthur Ransome’s books grant us solace, my prayer is that many will be able to grab the chance of sailing the little boats that take us into the stories immortalised on film so long ago.

You can read more of Sophie Neville’s memories in The Making of Swallows and Amazons’, published by the Lutterworth Press and now available as an audiobook narrated by the author

'The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) by Sophie Neville' — Different editions of ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) by Sophie Neville’

Thanks go to all those who have looked after and lovingly restored the inspirational boats that appear in the adaptations of Arthur Ransome’s books. If you would like to help by making a donation towards the restoration, the link is:

I would like to Donate – The Arthur Ransome Society (arthur-ransome.org)

Sophie Neville with Titmouse at Hunter’s Yard. She will join Swallow and Amazon at Windermere Jetty on 29th and 30th June. Come and join us!

Celebrating the life and work of Richard Pilbrow who produced the original movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’

Sophie Neville speaking about Richard Pilbrow at the National Theatre

I was invited to speak at the National Theatre by Fred Pilbrow who rehearsed the presentation at his studio in London.

He put together the most extraordinary celebration of the life and works of his father, Richard Pilbrow, who died recently at the age of ninety.

The most talented technicians in the theatre world gathered to speak on his life and works. A recording of the event has been made available on Youtube.

Sophie Neville speaks about making ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) at 1.15.15

It was a fitting tribute to the man who lit up the lives of many and produced a movie that apparently has been broadcast on television more than any other British film and fifty years after the premier in Shaftesbury Avenue is streaming on Amazon today. Read more in ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ now available on Audible.

Writing the foreword to the well-loved novel ‘Swallowdale’ by Arthur Ransome

When Albatros Media in the Czech Republic re-published a hardback edition of ‘Swallowdale’ by Arthur Ransome, I was invited to write a foreword. This was for a special edition of the bestselling book illustrated by the great Czech artist Zdenek Burian.

The somewhat daunting task gave me the opportunity to recommend that readers book a holiday in Cumbria. It’s always exciting to find the actual locations described in a novel, particularly one you know well, although I believe finding Swallowdale is quite a challenge.

I was commissioned by Ondřej Müller, Fiction Program Director who had my words translated into Czech. Here is the English version:

Of all Arthur Ransome’s books, it was Swallowdale that inspired me to go camping. I have since pitched my tent all over the world from Papua New Guinea in the Pacific to Patagonia, which I crossed on horseback. I once spent six months driving down through Africa, sleeping in a tent and using all I had learnt from this beautifully written book. Not long after this expedition, I started to draw maps in the hope that I that might encourage others to travel and explore the world as the Swallows did.

Back in 1973 I had the great privilege of playing the part of Titty in the movie of ‘Swallows & Amazons’ that has been translated into Czech twice. Throughout my life I have received letters from people telling me how Arthur Ransome’s books have given them direction in life, encouraging them to set sail and explore unchartered waters.

If you ever visit the English Lake District take the charcoal burners’ advice and keep a good lookout for adders but in searching for Swallowdale one thing is for sure, you will be walking in Arthur Ransome’s footsteps. He was taken to the summit of Old Man Coniston, the mountain known in the book as Kanchenjunga, as a small baby and rowed into the secret harbour of Peel Island, or Wild Cat Island as the Swallows called it, when he was a boy.

The people of Cumbria still welcome visitors, indeed you can stay at the farm known as Holly Howe and it is possible to take a boat out on the lake below it. Coniston Water is not an exact replica of the map in the book, but you can enjoy looking for Horseshoe Cove and the Amazon boathouse. Rio can be found on Windermere where you might also find the Peak of Darien along with native steamers. Titty would encourage you to let your imagination take you further and I am sure Roger would suggest you take a fishing rod.

Even if travelling does not appeal to you, ‘Swallowdale’ is such a vivid story that you will sail back in time to 1931 quite effortlessly. This classic book is full of wonderful imagery from ‘black wretched thoughts…crowding in like cormorants coming to roost’, to potatoes being in bad mood. It is enjoyable on many levels. I laughed when Titty decided, ‘Miss Turner could hardly be dead if she was complaining of cold plates’ and was uplifted by her joy at discovering, ‘the most secret valley that ever there was in the world.’

I am so pleased that Albatros Media are able to bring you this beautifully illustrated edition, to read, enjoy and perhaps pass on to others.

If you are in North America and are looking for a copy of ‘Swallowdale’ in English, copies are on sale here for U$15.77 The illustrations are by Arthur Ransome himself.

Richard Pilbrow, who produced the movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974)

Daphne Neville with Richard Pilbrow1 Richard Pilbrow produced the original movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) in which I appeared in a as a girl. I’m told that it has been broadcast on television more times than any other British movie and has been an inspiration to many.

Back in the early 1970s, Richard was busy producing iconic West End musicals such as ‘A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to The Forum’ when he was inspired to make a film adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s novel while taking a break in the Lake District.

Richard Pilbrow and Neville Thompson — Richard Pilbrow on location with his colleague Neville Thompson ~ photo:Daphne Neville

He said the most difficult task he ever took on was persuading Mrs Ransome to grant him the rights. Arthur Ransome had famously disliked a BBC adaptation and passionately did not want a ‘Disneyfication’ of the book based on his own childhood memories.

Sophie Neville appearing on the cover of Swallows and Amazons published by the Daily Mail

Richard said that raising the film finance was relatively easy. Nat Cohen of EMI Films happened to be looking for a classic story akin to ‘The Railway Children’, which had been a box office success. He’d never heard of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ but an assistant in his office was wildly enthusiastic and Richard secured a budget of £250,000 to make a ninety minute movie entirely on location in the Lake District.

Richard Pilbrow and Claude Whatham in the Capri — Producer Richard Pilbrow and Director Claude Whatham discussing the script in the Capri on Derwentwater. Molly Pilbrow is in the boat with them ~ photo: Daphne Neville

Richard loved being out on the water and took Mrs Ransome to find authentic locations. Being determined that the six children playing the Swallows and the Amazons should be able to sail well, he advertised in yacht clubs and interviewed about 1200 candidates. I met the director at the Theatre Project offices in Shaftesbury Avenue. Those short-listed were taken on a sailing weekend in Burnham-on-Crouch to see how they coped afloat.

The final audition for 'Swallows & Amazons' in March 1973 — Richard Pilbrow, Claude Watham, Fred Pilbrow, Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton

Mrs Ransome kept a close eye on the script, insisting that the part of Titty was played by ‘an English rose’, which must be why I was cast as the heroine.

Sophie Neville as Titty Walker in Swallows and Amazons — Sophie Neville as Titty Walker in the ITV trailer for the movie of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ when it was first shown on television in 1977

My mother came up to look after us six children who played the Swallows and Amazons. We landed on Wild Cat Island and began playing out the characters that sprung from the pages of the book.

Daphne Neville and Richard Pilbrow on Peel Island on Coniston Water in 1973

Claude Whatham was actually the second director appointed to work on the film. He had only made one other feature – ‘That’ll Be The Day’, starring David Essex and Ringo Starr, but he was an outdoorsy person and got on well with Richard who gave him a free rein. They embraced the 1929 period and the idea of somehow capturing childhood innocence.

Richard Pilbrow and Claude Whatham at The Secret Harbour on Peel Island, Coniston Water — Producer Richard Pilbrow with Director Claude Whatham in their wet weather gear at The Secret Harbour on Peel Island, Coniston Water

Unpredictable Lakeland weather and working out on the water could make scheduling and logistics a nightmare but Richard had the support of an excellent production team working under Neville Thompson who also organised the post-production work at Elstree Studios where the film was post-synced.

Neville was passionate about film making, becoming known as ‘the last gentleman producer.’ Although gregarious at times, he was a quiet man who had begun working as a location manager for Mike Newell and became a production manager for Ken Russell.

Neville C Thompson on the houseboat — Neville C Thompson, the Associate Producer relaxing on set – to be fare this shot may well have been taken on Sunday 24th July 1973, by Daphne Neville

Neville was diagnosed with Lukemia at the age of 47 but lived another twenty years, ending his days in Woodbridge in Suffolk. you can find his impressive list of production credits here

Richard Pilbrow with the Swallows in Egham — Director Claude Whatham with Sophie Neville, Stephen Grendon, Suzanna Hamilton and Simon West. Producer Richard Pilbow looks on ~ photo: Daphne Neville

The Pilbrows spent their family holidays on the Isle of Coll, so it was not surprising that Richard wanted to make ‘Great Northern?’ as a sequel even though Mrs Ransome wasn’t keen.

Swallows and Amazons Coot Club — Henry Dimbleby and Rosemary Leach in ‘Coot Club’ and ‘The Big Six’

Sadly it was too difficult in the mid-1970s to raise money for filming and Richard never produced another movie. He sold the rights to adapt ‘Coot Club’ and ‘The Big Six’ to the BBC, and I saw him in Norwich in 1983 when I was setting up the drama series with Joe Waters.

When Richard heard that I was giving talks on ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974)’ he kindly sent me Swallow’s original burgee and Captain Flint’s white elephant flag, along with a Jolly Roger – all handmade props used in the original film.

We last met up in Covent Garden when he came to London to receive an honour from the Central School of Dramatic Art where he had originally studied Stage Management and Technical Theatre Studies.

Sophie Neville as Titty with Suzanna Hamilton as Susan — Sophie Neville with Suzanna Hamilton

He later wrote to thank me for collecting information on how the film of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was and writing about the impact it had. He loved hearing about our Q&As at cinemas and admired StudioCanal’s remastered DVD. ‘They really did a beautiful job—a very subtle enhancement.’

Swallows and Amazons 1974 - Simon West, Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Sten Grendon in Secret Harbour — Simon West, Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Sten Grendon in Secret Harbour

I sent Richard and his family on safari to the Waterberg in South Africa, where he ended up riding a horse past grazing rhinos. He is survived by his three children, grandchildren and his wife Molly who worked as his assistant on ‘Swallows and Amazons’.

Richard’s obituary in the Telegraph can be found here

The momentous story of his life and work is recorded in his memoir ‘A Theatre Project’ available online here.

Suzanna Hamilton, Richard Pilbrow and Sophie Neville

If you would like to read more, there are many stories in ‘The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons’, available as an ebook and this paperback:

'The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974)'

From Actress to Author a life in Creativity – an interview with Wendy Jones

I was interviewed about working in film and television on Episode 170 of The Writing and Marketing Show. You can listen it on Spotify here

On Apple Podcasts here or scroll down here to the podcast entitled: From Actress to Author: A Life in Creativity

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.

Virginia McKenna with Sophie Neville in Swallows and Amazons — 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.

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.

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 with Sophie Neville on ITV News — 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.

Sophie Neville at The Nancy Blackett Day

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 on Triple 'B' Ranch in South Africa — 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.

'Funnily Enough' by Sophie Neville — 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