BOSSES at the BBC have changed the name of one of the main characters in the upcoming feature film remake of Arthur Ransome’s classic children’s story Swallows and Amazons - fearing it would provoke too many sniggers.

As filming in the Lake District begins for the new adaptation, the news emerged that Titty Walker - who will be portrayed by Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen, the half-sister of singer Lily Allen - will now be renamed Tatty.

Sophie Neville played the nine-year-old character in the 1974 film and said she had 'worn the name with pride' ever since.

"The name change has certainly caused a bit of controversy," she said. "I’ve found myself inadvertently caught up in a debate of national proportions.

"The film makers are experienced professionals, who I am sure have good reason to change the name."

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The name Titty came from the real-life family, the Altounyans, upon which Ransome based his story.

One of the children, Mavis, was nicknamed after Joseph Jacob’s Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse story.

The rest of the children’s names - John, Susan and Roger - remain unchanged in the dramatisation.

Sophie added: "Not a day goes by without someone somewhere sending me an email or tweet, a letter or a Facebook message about my role in the film. It is very rare that they ask if I ever minded being known as 'Titty'. I never have. It's a sweet name.

"Lots of people have to go through life with a name that is pretty difficult to live with. Being known as Titty has been a joy, especially when I visit the Lake District. I was once staying at Bank Ground Farm on Coniston, to record an interview for the BBC with Ben Fogle, when two Japanese ladies arrived to stay there. They flung up their hands and screamed in delight. The word 'Titty' echoed from the fells of Cumbria."

Rob Boden, who looks after the boat from the original film when it is in the Lake District every other year, said: "I wasn't expecting the new film to be a straight remake of the 1974 one, and I suspect they will do many things differently to appeal to modern audiences.

"If one of these changes is the name of Titty, then I guess the film makers feel this makes the film more acceptable to a wider audience rather than just to Arthur Ransome enthusiasts."

The book, which was set in the Lake District and published in 1930, tells the story of four children camping on their own on a remote island in the middle of a lake.

Rafe Spall, Kelly Macdonald, Gwendoline Christie, Jessica Hynes and Harry Enfield will star in the new production, which is scheduled to be released in UK cinemas in 2016.