The 1974 adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s iconic book Swallows and Amazons starring Virginia McKenna will be screened on BBC Two on Friday 17th April at 3.00pm and then be available on BBC iPlayer for 30 days here, writes Sophie Neville, who played Titty Walker in the film.

Please add any questions about how the movie was made to the Comments here.

For the latest edition of the paperback on The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) with details of the film locations and what those who appeared in it are doing now, please click here.

The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) by Sophie Neville. (Click to enlarge)

You can read the first section for free in the ebook, entitled The Secrets of Filming Swallows & Amazons (1974) This is similar to the paperback but has a few more stories for adult readers and links to behind-the-scenes cine footage. It can be downloaded from iBooks, iTunes, Smashwords, Kobo and Amazon Kindle.

For homeschooling ideas, why not get hold of a copy of Swallows and Amazons in French or enter Into Film’s movie review writing contests? Read more here.

It would be lovely to hear from anyone who saw it in the cinema when it first came out in cinemas in the summer of 1974 – more than forty-five years ago.

If you enjoy Swallows and Amazons, think of joining the Nancy Blackett Trust here, the Arthur Ransome Society  or the Arthur Ransome Group on Facebook where you will meet like-minded people of all ages. Most are dinghy sailors who love the books.

There seems to be a great interest in Swallows and Amazons mugs. To find out more about the ones pictured above, please click here, while the ones below are available here from the Nancy Blackett Shop…

Please click here for Sophie Neville’s other books. It is always great to hear from readers on Facebook or Instagram and on-line reviews of the DVD and books are welcome.

The original version of this story was published by Sophie Neville in April 2020.