The
lowdown: 'Swallows And Amazons Forever!' is a BBC adaptation
of the children's novels by Arthur Ransome.
The first of the 12 books
was published in 1930, and titled 'Swallows and Amazons'. The novels feature
the adventures
of a group of children during
the period between the two world wars. The children sailed around the Lake
District in two
dinghies, respectively called
'Swallow' and 'Amazon'. The BBC series is actually two stories, 'Coot Club'
and 'The Big
Six', broadcast under the
collective title of 'Swallows And Amazons Forever!', although neither actually
features the two
boats from which the series
of novels took its name. The novel of 'Coot Club' was first published in
1934, while 'The Big
Six' was published in 1940.
Both stories featured Colin Baker as Dr Robert Dudgeon, the father of one
of the children
who are the focus of the
stories. 'The Big Six' also features Patrick Troughton as a local fisherman,
Harry Bangate, who
befriends the children.
Sadly, both Doctor Who actors are underused in the show, and each only
appears in a handful
of scenes.
The
plot: It must be said that the plots of both stories are very
similar. 'Coot Club' is set in Norfolk in 1932, and sees
the children get into trouble
when they try to protect the offspring of a bird that is nesting on the
banks of the river. A
group of city-dwellers who
have hired a boat for the holidays moors the vessel very close to the nesting
site, and the
children are concerned that
they will disturb the birds. Tom Dudgeon loosens the boat's moorings and
sets it adrift.
The city-dwellers - dubbled
the Hullabaloos by the children - vow to catch Tom and make him accountable
for his
actions. The rest of the
story is basically about the children's attempts to stay out of harm's
way, while being pursued
by the Hullabaloos (who
naturally get their comeuppance in the end. 'The Big Six' sees the children
return to the Norfolk
Broads and get into trouble
with the police. Somebody has been setting moored boats adrift, and naturally
the children
are blamed. Some shackles
are then stolen from a boatbuilder and planted on the children's boat.
The children use
detective work to discover
the identity of the real culprit.
The
verdict: 'Swallows And Amazons Forever!' does a good job of
recreating the 1930s, with great attention to the
fashions of the time. The
series is rather reminiscent of Enid Blyton's Famous Five, and while it
may appeal to younger
audiences, one suspects
that it will resonate the most with adults who grew up reading the Ransome
novels or were
of a similar age during
the period in which the series is set. Ah, nostalgia! This is old-fashioned
storytelling that is highly
recommended for people with
young children.It is also a bit of a curiosity, being a rare instance of
a television series
which features two actors
who have played the Doctor.
|
|
