If you see men walking down the street with a telephone box it is probably an indication that there is a film crew nearby.
This was a distinctive director with red hair called John Prowse filming a drama serial called The Changes on location in Bristol in back 1975 when wooden tripods were used with 16mm cameras and portable monitors hadn’t been developed.
The Changes was a BBC adaptation of the books by Peter Dickinson written and produced by Anna Home. It starred Victoria Williams, Keith Ashton and Rafiq Anwar. Jack Watson was in four episodes and my mother had what one might call a cameo role as a villager. She can be seen in the photo above in the pink headscarf.
Sonia Graham appeared in this scene wearing a long red cloak. I later worked with her on the vet series One by One.
The story explored the concept of a time when machines ground to a halt and all cars became useless. Vehicles still seemed to be used as camera mounts. John Prowes is standing on top of a doramobile in this photograph.
Does anyone remember seeing the outcome of all this toil?
Swallows And Amazons Forever! (Coot Club & The Big Six) SPECIAL EDITION [DVD]Revelation Films have re-released the DVD of the BAFTA nominated serial, Swallows And Amazons Forever!
The television adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s classic books Coot Club and The Big Six, “Swallows and Amazons Forever!” is an eight-part drama serial made on location in East Anglia in 1983, and broadcast on BBC TV in 1984.
The Titmouse
As Revelation Films say, ‘Set on the Norfolk Broads in the 1930s, the BAFTA-nominated BBC production is packed full of lively characters, beautifully authentic scenery and plenty of adventure.’
Weighing Pete’s big fish at the Roaring Donkey
Jake, Mark and Nic with Sam Kelly playing Captain of the Catchalot
The new version of the DVD includes the option of subtitles. The packaging and menus have been completely redesigned, and if you take a look at the DVD extras package you can see photographs that I took on location that give an insight into the production.
Julian Fellowes in ‘Coot Club’
The big thing is that the picture quality has been digitally restored, with amazing results. This short Youtube clip shows the amazing difference in the quality.
RRP: £15.99 | Certificate: U | Discs: 1 | Run Time: 202 Minutes
I’m told DVDs can be viewed on a multi-region or region-free DVD player
I have given illustrated talks on how the serial was made to members of The Arthur Ransome Society and at the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club where a number of the boats featured in the series were gathered for the occasion. Please click here to see more.
For those who don’t know the stories~
‘Coot Club’
Whilst travelling to Norfolk to stay on a boat with family friend Mrs Barrable, Dick and Dot Callum meet Tom Dudgeon and the members of Coot Club. After being told that they won’t be learning to sail, their disappointment quickly turns to excitement as an adventure begins to unfold. Will they be able to protect a precious coot’s nest whilst hiding Tom from the awful Hullabaloos, who are hell bent on ruining everyone’s holiday? Creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, stars as Jerry the Hullabaloo in this delightful film.
The Big Six
When Dick and Dot return to Norfolk to stay with Tom, they find themselves caught up in a brand new adventure. The Death And Glories are being accused of setting moored boats adrift but the three boys maintain their innocence. With the whole town against them, it’s up to Coot Club to gather evidence and prove that someone else is responsible for these crimes. The Big Six is born. Dr Who’s Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton star in this fitting adaptation of the classic story.
The yacht Lullaby playing the Teasel in ‘Coot Club’, seen here being delivered to location on South Walsham Broad
William the Hero – who later appeared as Little Willie in ‘Eastenders’
The BBC drama series Swallows and Amazons Forever! was first broadcast at a very odd time. Instead of being mainstream BBC One Saturday night viewing in the run up to Christmas as we expected, it was moored in a by-water, shown on BBC Two at 6.30pm on Tuesday evenings. Very few people saw it. This was odd, especially since it was a big budget production with a strong cast. Perhaps it was because Colin Baker who played Dr Dudgeon had just been cast as Doctor Who.
Jake Coppard as Pete, Mark Page as Bill and Henry Dimbleby as Tom Dudgeon outside Itteringham Shop ~ click on the photo to see what it looks like today
However, when the series was released on video it was treasured by many:
‘This video is a delight!’ wrote Dr Duncan Hall from North Yorkshire. ‘…the animated credit sequence and the music are both a delight and you won’t get tired of them! The stories themselves are amongst the best ever written for young people and they are brought to life with relish by the director and excellent cast. The locations are all spot-on; anybody who has ever had a magical holiday on the broads will love this video for that alone! And the wildlife photography is fantastic as well. A last point: it is true there are no Swallows and Amazons in the programme – but the two books were part of Ransome’s famous ‘Swallows and Amazons’ series of books, so the title does not seem TOO inappropriate to me. Buy it!!!
Jake Coppard, Mark Page and Nicholas Walpole as the Death and Glory boys with Sam Kelly of the Catchalot, weighing the fish in ‘the Big Six’
The drama serial was soon released on DVD ~ which was hugely appreciated:
This is a beautiful adaptation of Ransome’s ‘Coot Club’ & ‘The Big Six’. The child actors/actresses are excellent. There is almost an historical element as the DVD charts childhood without mobile phones and electronic games. Simply gentle and innocent yet a good degree of drama. 5 out of 5 stars Excellent
Mike Souter said, ‘ So pleased I bought this. I interviewed Henry Dimbleby on location in the 1980’s and seeing the episodes again brought back many happy memories. Charming series.’
Some viewers wrote to say they thought the twins playing Port and Starboard should have been aged eleven. They, in fact, were (both) eleven-years-old.
The Death and Glory boys weeding PC Tedder’s garden with Colin March, the sound recordist, setting up the microphones.
‘If you like nature, sailing, kids and bad plots this fits the bill. I have sailed on the Norfolk Broads and this series captures the atmosphere perfectly. The sailing is technically accurate too. I’m old enough to remember England in earlier times. Once again the atmosphere has been captured nicely. The unusual Norfolk regional accent is evident and sometimes realistic. This is a classic and fully in the spirit of the Swallows and Amazons books.’ 5 out of 5 stars -Wonderful ~ C Bauers, Suffolk
‘We really enjoyed this adventure it has inspired my kids to do a sailing course!!’ ~ David Francis, France
‘Watched the series as a child and have loved it my whole life. A family favourite, simply charming! Very indulging to sit back with a cup of tea and lose myself in the antics of some wonderful characters. I love it.’
‘Highly recommended entertainment for the whole family. Good old fashioned fun that children use to have before computer games were invented.’ J.Kennedy ~ Sydney, Australia
The Broads cruiser Lullaby in her starring role as the Teasel
‘Just spent a week on a Broads cruiser with three granddaughters and played the DVD on the third night. It was quite magical that we had cruised to all the places mentioned in the films, and the girls were able to identify the filming locations, including the swing railway bridge at Reedham. We tried very hard not to have the radio too loud the next day for fear of becoming Hullaballoos, and kept well clear of coots nests. As with all films, these do not copy the books word for word, but I think Arthur Ransome would have been pleased with the result. Pity the TV companies don’t produce more films from the other books in the Swallows and Amazons series.’
We were hoping to keep going and adapt all the Arthur Ransome books. While I started casting children for Swallowdale and Picts and Martyrs, our Producer Joe Waters went up to Cumbria on a recce to find the main locations and to estimate a budget the next series. He returned looking crest-fallen. Filming on National Trust property in the Lake Distinct, when he was quoted fees of £1,000 a day – back then, even for open moorland – was simply going to be too expensive. Plans to adapt the Arthur Ransome books were put on hold. Indefinitely.
However, the original movie ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974) is streaming on Amazon. You can read about how it was made in a choice of books available online here.
Different editions of ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) by Sophie Neville’
Jake Coppard, as Pete, after he fell in the water, enacting Arthur Ransome’s story of ‘The Big Six’
What is the best way to entertain someone who enjoys acting?
Jake Coppard wearing my coat and hat in our support boat on the Norfolk Broads
Even when we had very little space or were waiting around for hours out on the water during the filming of ‘Coot Club’ and ‘The Big Six’, one thing that kept everyone amused was the game of charades. Simply imitating each other also proved hilarious and kept up moral whatever the weather. Since the children who appeared in the drama all enjoyed acting, they proved natural entertainers both on and off-screen.
Mark Page, who played Bill, as ‘Blackadder’.
The experienced actors entered into the spirit of this in a trice.
June Ellis finding a way of being a green parrot whilst in her 1934 costume
The great thing about miming is that it is silent, which was just as well, when we had to keep quiet on set.
Colin Baker as Dr Dudgeon on location in Norfolk
The film crew were wonderful, ever inventive and terribly good at charades.
Make-up designer Sue Bide being a swallow with the help of Paul Higton from the Wardrobe Department
No one was limited by taking themselves too seriously.
Sound Recordist Colin March wearing my hat over his ear phones
Some members of the production team made a tremendous effort to keep up our spirits.
Script Supervisor Di Brooks towards the end of our three month shoot in Norfolk with Henry Dimbleby who played Tom Dudgeon in the 1984 BBC serial of ‘Coot Club’
Julian Fellowes, who played Jerry, told me recently that he so admired Henry Dimbleby for taking part in Swallows and Amazons Forever purely because it was fun, rather than because he wanted to be an actor. I appreciated his indestructible good nature and the fact that he made the three months we spent on location enjoyable, in many ways leading the team, even though he was only thirteen years old.
Of course, what is most amusing, is when the unexpected happens. That is what I will attempt to relate in the next post.
Sophie Neville 