Swallows and Amazons series and observed, "It is the portrayal of this spirit which makes play a matter of desperate yet enjoyable earnestness which gives their distinctive stamp to Mr. Ransome's books. ... Because he understands the whole-heartedness of youth he can invest a momentary experiment, such as young Roger's Indian scout work, with real suspense." In 1963, the BBC screened a television series starring Susan George as 'Kitty' (changed from Titty), which was violently disliked by Arthur Ransome. The six-part series aired in September and October 1963. In 1974, EMI produced a film version of the "Swallows and Amazons", starring Virginia McKenna and
Elinor Lyon Lyon wrote over twenty books for children, which had some success on both sides of the Atlantic. She found they "came much more easily" than writing for adults and believes her inspiration came from "omnivorous reading". Lyon began "The House in Hiding", for example, after reading "Swallows and Amazons", because she disliked the characters within it (they were too good at everything). In response, the children in "The House in Hiding" get things wrong, but still manage to succeed eventually. The development was pinpointed in an obituary by Julia Eccleshare: "Lyon's adventures, with their strong girls and sensitive boys and