We Read The Water-Babies
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Why did Eleanor and Alistair choose to read *The Water‑Babies* and what do they expect?
You're listening to Eleanor and Alistair Read That.
The podcast where two red-headed comedians revisit classic kids' books and ask the big questions. Questions like, why did we choose The Water Babies?
Why did we do it? Why? This is
awful.
Questions like, what's wrong with the Irish, really? Come on.
What is wrong with the Irish? Because it can't just be me. Charles Kingsley, the author of The Water Babies.
I'm Eleanor Morton.
I'm Alistair Beckett-King.
And this episode is... The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. Boo!
Eleanor, you're back from the fringe.
I'm back from the fringe.
But you're in the same place because you live there. You live in Edinburgh.
I'm opening my eyes. I'm crawling out from the fringe rock. I'm looking around. I'm saying, is there any theatre to be done? No. Thank God. I'm almost scared to go into this because behind the scenes, we had lunch together the other day when you were up in Scotland and you wanted to talk about the water babies. I said, no, Alistair, leave it for the monetised conversation.
Yeah, exactly. We can't give this sort of thing away free in a vegetarian cafe in the new town.
So here we go. I'm trepidatious, but I'm excited because I can feel... You are right
to be trepidatious.
Alistair, what did you think of the water babies?
Hold on. Hold on now. Now. Okay. I don't want...
Wrong way to start?
I think it's an extremely boring and bad book.
Is this the worst book you think we've read?
Yes,
by a
long, long way, it's the worst
book.
I really think it's a very poor piece of work. A writer is probably not a bad writer. No. I don't think it's a morally bad book, unless you're Irish, in which case it
is. I was going to say, it's one of those things where you forget, you don't forget, obviously, it's a huge issue, 800 years, but you forget how much Irish racism was prominent in Britain to an insane extent in the 19th century until you read these books and you're like, oh, yes, yes, yes.
And of course, the way conventional, conventional, traditional anti-black racism, I don't mean to make it sound vintage there. Traditional. The way anti-Irish racism was folded into anti-black racism. Yeah. It's a given that the reader is racist against black people, but wait till you hear about the Irish.
Yeah.
I was excited to read this because I had a suspicion it was going to be not bad, but certainly interesting. And all I really remember of it, because I have my copy here that I bought. Yeah, what are your memories? Well, not much. I never actually read the whole thing as a child, and I feel like I know why now. But, um... I think I was very much drawn to the idea of the water babies, mostly the water baby bit where you get to be a little sort of sea creature and hang around in rivers. And I thought that might be the whole book. And it's not. I mean, it is. But wow, he's really made it seem like the worst thing you could possibly be.
Yeah. I remember the animated film from 1978. Yes. Is it directed by Lionel Jeffries?
Yes. It is of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame, among others.
Also director of the Railway Children.
How do the hosts describe their first impressions of the book’s style and readability?
Oh, yes, of
course. We talked about previously.
Wow, that's crazy.
And it's a musical version and it's live action. And then once he goes into the water, it becomes animated. Yes. I remember enjoying High Cockalorum, which is one of the songs, and I also remember enjoying In the Doldrums, which I checked, and it's from a different film.
It's
from the Phantom Tollbooth.
There you
go. So probably my favourite song from this musical
is
from a different musical.
I was looking up reviews on Goodreads. Somebody on Goodreads said this was like a shitty Victorian version of the Phantom Tollbooth. That's interesting. If the Phantom Tollbooth was rubbish...
I saw a review of the Lionel Jeffries film that said, oh, it's very sort of cutesy and Disney. And they meant that as a criticism, but it's actually an enormous compliment because however bland and twee and boring you might find classic Disney films, the animation quality
is
so good.
They look good.
And in this film, it is not. It is the cheapest, most 1970s, insultingly cheap, invariably hideous.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did Eleanor and Alistair choose to read *The Water‑Babies* and what do they expect?
0:01–3:10
2
How do the hosts describe their first impressions of the book’s style and readability?
3:10–7:24
3
What does the episode reveal about the historical context of child‑labour and Kingsley’s reformist aims?
7:24–10:37
4
In what ways does *The Water‑Babies* portray anti‑Irish sentiment and how do the hosts react?
10:37–15:25
5
How do Eleanor and Alistair summarize the plot – from chimney‑sweep Tom to the water‑baby transformation?
15:25–19:43
6
Which elements of the book have aged well (nature descriptions, typography) and which have not (didactic tone, racism)?
19:43–24:07
7
Would the hosts read *The Water‑Babies* to a hypothetical child, and what names would they give that child?
24:07–28:16
8
How do the hosts wrap up their discussion and tease the next episode’s classic children’s book?
28:16–29:45