Swallows and Amazons (TV series)

Swallows and Amazons is a 1963 BBC children's television series based on the novel of the same name by Arthur Ransome, about the holiday adventures of two groups of children, the Swallows (Walkers) and the Amazons (Blacketts), sailing on a lake and camping on an island in the Lake District in the 1930s.

Swallows and Amazons
StarringJohn Paul
Susan George
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Running time25 minutes per episode
Release
Original networkBBC
Original release3 September 1963 –
1963

The series of 6 episodes was shot on location on Coniston Water. Arthur Ransome, who lived nearby at Nibthwaite, was not impressed:[1]

They began by proposing to blow up some of the rocks in the Peel Island harbour, and went on from there. According to Arthur their child-actors were ugly, their Captain Flint was ‘common’, their script a travesty of his book, their rural characters were made to talk Cockney, and they introduced some Cockney villains. Genia (his wife, who was always discouraging about his books when he was writing them) missed no chance of telling him he was a fool ever to have consented to the project, and he sadly agreed with her.

Characters
  • John Paul as Captain Flint
  • David Lott as John Walker
  • Siobhan Taylor as Susan Walker
  • Susan George as Kitty (renamed from Titty)
  • Shane Younger as Roger Walker
  • Mandy Harper (also known as Amanda Coxall or Mandy Dunn) as Nancy Blackett
  • Paula Boyd as Peggy Blackett
  • Mary Kenton as Mrs Walker
  • Ruth Kettlewell as Mrs Jackson
  • Bernard Kay as Sammy the Policeman
  • Sam Kydd as Young Billie, a charcoal-burner
  • Michael Ripper as Old Billie, a charcoal-burner
  • George Roderick as Sam Packer, a burglar
  • Anthony Sagar as Ernie Kidd, a burglar

The director was Peter Saunders and the music was composed by Alfred Elms.[2]

References
  1. The Life of Arthur Ransome by Hugh Brogan p 431 (1984, Jonathan Cape, London) ISBN 0-224-02010-2
  2. Staff. "Swallows and Amazons: Swallows and Amazons Episode 1 Sailing Orders". British Film Institute. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
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