Family of Swallows and Amazons' Titty 'furious' at BBC film's decision to change name to Tatty
The war to preserve ever-so-slightly rude, but traditional, first names has officially been waged
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Of course, everyone is quite aware of why the new BBC adaptation of Swallows and Amazons decided to change the character of Titty's name to Tatty; but the family of the woman who inspired her remain entirely unconvinced on the matter.
Barbara Altounyan penned a letter to The Telegraph to protest that she is "absolutely furious" about the decision; being the niece of Titty Altounyan, the third of five Altounyan children who met author Arthur Ransome in the Lake District, later becoming the inspiration for the classic children's novel.
Altounyan claims her relative would be "turning in her grave" at a move she branded as politically correct and insulting, furthermore claiming the name change "runs the risk of leaving audiences ignorant of the innocence and charm of Arthur Ransome’s children’s novel."
"I would absolutely wring someone’s neck if could only find out whose neck I could ring," she continued. "It’s just the most disgustingly pompous thing to do, to feel you can change somebody’s identity without any permission or discussion."
A little more dramatic than a name change is the BBC film's decision to update the plot, in which Jim Turner is now transformed into a suspected spy tracked by Russian agents.
The film, directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, stars Kelly Macdonald, Andrew Scott, Rafe Spall, Jessica Hynes, and Harry Enfield.
Swallows and Amazons is set to be released in cinemas later this year.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments