One of the pleasures (or frustrations, depending on your point of view) faced by the devotee of archive television is that there’s just so much of it. No matter how deep you think you’ve dug at times, there’s always yet more forgotten programmes just waiting to be unearthed.

Such a one is Swizzlewick, which – until this book – I’d never examined in any detail. Like Michael Seely, my first thoughts were that it was a children’s series, but that’s far from the case ….

A twice-weekly BBC serial created by David Turner, Swizzlewick was an experimental and satirical drama set in the world of local government. If remembered at all today, it’s because Mary Whitehouse (then just beginning her campaign to clean up tv) was incensed by the series – convinced that Swizzlewick had deliberately lampooned both her and her husband.

As Seely notes early on, Whitehouse’s claims have been taken as fact (notably in her memoirs). But by digging through the surviving production documentation, Seely is able to tell – for the first time – the richer and more accurate story about the series’ genesis, production, clash with Mrs Whitehouse and swift demise (it came to an end after just 26 episodes – of which only one exists today).

In the field of continuing dramas (or “soap operas” as they’re known today) ITV reigned supreme in the 1960’s with both Coronation Street and Crossroads. The BBC wasn’t idle though and, following on from the 1950’s Grove Family, they broadcast a variety of different series (Compact, 199 Park Lane, United!, The Newcomers) during the following decade with varying degrees of success.

Swizzlewick was born out of the success of Compact (an audience favourite, but viewed with disdain by the critics) which had run for several years and was now approaching its natural end. Anybody who has studied the genesis of Doctor Who, will recognise some of the figures floating around the BBC drama department at this time (Donald Wilson, Anthony Coburn) and it was Wilson who spoke to David Turner about the local government series concept that had been developed by Coburn.

I love facts and there’s plenty of facts in this book. For example, we learn how many guineas the scripts cost, as well as the budget for each episode (around about the same as the early episodes of Doctor Who). Sydney Newman offered criticism and encouragement as the series’ format was developed, although Morris Barry struck a more downbeat note (noting in a memo that the series was far removed from the glossy escapist fare of Compact – and so was more suited to a later evening slot).

From this (and of course, knowing the series’ eventual fate) it’s hard not to chug through these earlier chapters with a feeling of unease that Swizzlewick won’t be long for this world. And so it turns out – but the way it got there (and the Whitehouse controversy especially) does make for a fascinating story.

Thanks to a plethora of diligent researchers, we know so much about the genesis of Doctor Who, but the vast majority of its contemporaries have not been so fortunate. That’s one of the reasons why I found the early chapters of Swizzlewick so engrossing – to be able to eavesdrop in detail on the creation and production of a 1960’s BBC drama series that isn’t Doctor Who is quite a treat.

The first half of the book details the production of the series, the second half offers a detailed episode guide (very detailed, in fact) which is followed by an epilogue, entitled Was Swizzlewick any good? Michael Seely thinks so and having finished the book, I’d have to concur.

It goes without saying that this is a very niche book. And yet I’m sure it will find a market, as even if the series won’t be familiar to many, the wealth of production documentation unearthed will ensure it’s bound to catch the eye of anyone with an interest in 1960’s British drama. Warmly recommended.

Swizzlewick can be ordered directly from Saturday Morning Press at this link.