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Sooty is a British
children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...
media franchise created by
Harry Corbett Harry Corbett Order of the British Empire, OBE (28 January 1918 – 17 August 1989) was an English Magic (illusion), magician, puppeteer and television presenter. He was best known as the creator of the glove puppet character Sooty in 1952 ...
incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional
glove puppet Glove puppetry () is a type of opera using cloth puppets that originated during the 17th century in Quanzhou or Zhangzhou of China's Fujian province, and historically practised in the Min Nan-speaking areas such as Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, the Chao ...
character introduced to television in ''
The Sooty Show ''The Sooty Show'' is a British children's television series, created by Harry Corbett, and produced for the BBC from 1955 to 1967, and then for ITV from 1968 until 1992. The show, part of the ''Sooty'' franchise, focuses on the mischievous ad ...
'' in 1955. The main character, Sooty, is a mute yellow bear with black ears and nose, who is kind-hearted but also cheeky. Sooty performs magic tricks and practical jokes, and squirts his handler and other people with his water pistol. The franchise itself also includes several other puppet characters who were created for television, as well as an animated series, two spin-off series for the direct-to-video market, and a selection of toy merchandising. The franchise remained in the ownership of Corbett until his retirement in 1976, before being passed on to his son Matthew. The rights to the franchise were sold in 1996 to a development firm who formed a holding company for the property, with Matthew later retiring and handing over control of the puppet characters to
Richard Cadell Richard Cadell (born 23 March 1969) is a British illusionist, puppeteer, actor and screenwriter, best known for being the in-vision presenter and the hand of puppet Sooty since succeeding Matthew Corbett in 1998. Biography In June 2008 (Sooty' ...
in 1998. After initial ownership changes from
Gullane Entertainment Gullane Entertainment Limited was a British independent production company which produced children's programming, including ''Thomas & Friends'' (1984–2021), ''Shining Time Station'' (1989–1995), '' The Magic Adventures of Mumfie'' (1994–1 ...
to
HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (stylised as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sophie Turn ...
, the franchise suffered some setbacks in 2004, and eventually Cadell bought the rights in June 2008. He has since focused on ensuring the survival of the brand with new stage shows and television programmes.


Background

The ''Sooty'' franchise is focused upon the adventures of Sooty, a
glove puppet Glove puppetry () is a type of opera using cloth puppets that originated during the 17th century in Quanzhou or Zhangzhou of China's Fujian province, and historically practised in the Min Nan-speaking areas such as Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, the Chao ...
character created by magician and puppeteer
Harry Corbett Harry Corbett Order of the British Empire, OBE (28 January 1918 – 17 August 1989) was an English Magic (illusion), magician, puppeteer and television presenter. He was best known as the creator of the glove puppet character Sooty in 1952 ...
in the 1950s, alongside his other friends
Sweep Sweep or swept may refer to: Cleaning * Sweep, the action of using a brush to clean * Chimney sweep, a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys * Street sweeper, a person's occupation, or a machine that cleans streets * Swept quartz, a cle ...
and Soo. Although mainly appearing in programmes for British
children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...
, ''Sooty'' also incorporates stage shows, both of which make use of a mixture of slapstick comedy, prop comedy – ranging from
gunge Gunge as it is known in the United Kingdom, or slime as it is known in the United States and most English-speaking areas of the world, is a thick, gooey, yet runny substance with a consistency somewhere between that of paint and custard. It ha ...
, custard pies and water pistols – magic tricks, and music. All routines in both are primarily aimed at providing family-friendly entertainment suitable for young children. In addition, the franchise also include merchandising, ranging from annuals to toys. One such product that was sold was a toy musical instrument – referred to as a "xylophone", but in reality a toy glockenspiel – based upon the same instrument used by Sooty up until the 1980s.


Creation

The creation of the franchise is traced back to 1948, when Corbett came across an all yellow bear
glove puppet Glove puppetry () is a type of opera using cloth puppets that originated during the 17th century in Quanzhou or Zhangzhou of China's Fujian province, and historically practised in the Min Nan-speaking areas such as Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, the Chao ...
during a holiday in
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
. Purchasing the item for 7s 6d (37.5p), he made use of it to entertain his children during that time, including his newborn son
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
(Matthew), naming the puppet Teddy. In time, his use of the puppet to entertain children with a variety of comedic routines and magic tricks earned him a place on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's talent competition, ''Talent Night'', being held at
Belle Vue, Manchester Belle Vue is an area of Manchester, England, sited east of the city centre; it is bordered by the Hope Valley line to the east and the Glossop line to the west. It is part of the electoral ward of Longsight. History In 1897, the machine tool ...
in 1952. Corbett proved popular with viewers and became the overall winner, whereupon he was offered 6 programmes, to be broadcast live on successive Saturdays. However in those days Saturday was a normal working day and when his employer refused to give him time off his job as an engineer he took the risk and resigned, becoming a regular performer on the BBC children's show ''Saturday Special'', where his puppet immediately appealed to children, turning him into an overnight success. Corbett opted to redesign Teddy's appearance to make him stand out on
black and white television Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
screens. The overall change involved the use of black dust (or 'soot') upon the ears and nose, which inspired Corbett to change the puppet's name from Teddy to Sooty. The new look cemented the foundations of the franchise.


Characters

The franchise features three different characters, with the most prominent being the titular character himself – Sooty. Corbett's design for the character was that all his puppets were yellow bears who bore the distinct features of black ears and nose. When portrayed in performances on television and stage shows, the character was cheeky and naughty, fond of playing practical jokes, but was also kind-hearted and good. Part of the character's design that Corbett devised, was for Sooty being mute in his appearances and thus communicating with others by 'whispering' in their ear, to which the recipient often repeats what was said for the audience to understand. The character often retains two items that are iconic in his appearance: a magic wand, which he uses for spells conducted to the catchphrase of "Izzy wizzy, let's get busy!" – which Corbett devised – and tapping it to "
Shave and a Haircut "Shave and a Haircut" and the associated response "two bits" is a seven-note musical call-and-response couplet, riff or fanfare popularly used at the end of a musical performance, usually for comedic effect. It is used melodically or rhythmical ...
"; and a water pistol, which symbolises his cheekiness by often being used to soak others around him – including on programmes he is a guest on, such as soaking talk show hosts. On television programmes, the presenter – Sooty's owner and main puppeteer – often acts as narrator for scenes involving the character and other puppets, thus providing a 'voice' for Sooty during their narration to portray the character speaking normally with other puppet characters. The other two characters in the franchise were created to accompany Sooty in performances, effectively forming the backbone of television and stage shows, and were created by Corbett. The first character, Sweep, introduced in 1957, was designed to be a dog and friend of Sooty, who would be portrayed as being dim-witted but good-natured and innocent, who would often make mistakes that would cause problems for others, often get his own back on others when tricked, and have an obsession with bones. An aspect of the character's design was his voice – in performances he would speak in a high-pitched squeak that would have some form of sentences, but would often be translated by the main puppeteer for the audience to understand more clearly. The concept was created by Corbett's brother Leslie through the use of a
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...
reed, and became a permanent element of the character upon his debut. The second character, Soo, introduced in 1964, was designed as a panda bear, who would be portrayed as sweet, shy, and mainly responsible, acting as a motherly character to the other two. In later years, the character tends to sometimes hate being tricked by the others, but does not mind enjoying a laugh when someone else is being tricked. Unlike the other two, Soo was designed to have a voice, in order to provide ease in production of television episodes.


Television history


Harry Corbett era

After his initial performances with his puppet between 1952 and 1955, Harry Corbett introduced Sooty officially with his own programme, ''
Sooty Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in '' The Sooty ...
'', the title was changed to ''
The Sooty Show ''The Sooty Show'' is a British children's television series, created by Harry Corbett, and produced for the BBC from 1955 to 1967, and then for ITV from 1968 until 1992. The show, part of the ''Sooty'' franchise, focuses on the mischievous ad ...
'' in 1967. The programme, run on
BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios ...
(later BBC1) between 1955 and 1967 and made as a replacement for ''
Muffin the Mule Muffin the Mule is an animated puppet animal character in a British 1946 to 1955 television show for children. The puppet was made in 1933 for Ann Hogarth. The original TV shows featuring the animal character himself were presented by Annette ...
'', included a series of comedic sketches involving Sooty conducting simple tasks or ventures, which would sometimes go wrong and result in a mess that they would need to deal with. The show expanded on the routines used in episodes by featuring slapstick humour suitable for young children, magic tricks, and the inclusion of songs and music. The glove puppet gained a sufficient profile from television exposure that his likeness became a feature on charity collection boxes used by the
Royal National Institute of Blind People RNIB (formally, the Royal National Institute of Blind People and previously the Royal National Institute for the Blind) is a British charity, founded in 1868, that serves people living with visual impairments. It is regarded as a leader in th ...
in the late 1950s. Corbett expanded on the programme further with the inclusion of story-telling, and the creation of additional characters that would co-star with Sooty. The two most prominent additions were made during his tenure with the BBC: Sweep in 1957, handled by his brother Leslie Corbett, and Soo in 1964, voiced by his wife Marjorie and brought in after backlash on the BBC's desire not to include a female character. In 1967, Corbett fell into disagreement with the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, in particular with the new controller of BBC1 that year, Paul Fox, who decided that Corbett be replaced with another person presenting his programme. Faced with the prospect of this or his programme being cancelled, Corbett decided to sign a deal with ITV to bring Sooty to commercial television, having earlier performed with the character in one of the channel's first product advertisements. The newly established franchise
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...
would make the programme. The move led to him expanding on the characters that featured in the programme, including: Butch, another dog who occasionally plays the part of a villain; Ramsbottom, a snake; and 'Enry the Robot, a robot with light up eyes who keeps breaking down. Alongside his television work, Corbett also created travelling shows with Sooty and various works for charity, but the switch to ITV created a tighter schedule that increased his workload. As a result, Corbett's work affected his health badly, culminating in him having a heart attack in December 1975. Knowing he would need to retire, Corbett opted to hand over control of his puppets and the franchise to his son Peter, who was now performing in children's television under the stage name of Matthew Corbett, with his own programme. Corbett's role in children's television earned him an
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for his services in January 1976, with his character Sooty being given a special one alongside him during his ceremony. He continued to provide assistance on ''The Sooty Show'' as a guest star, making his final appearance in 1984 – five years before his death in 1989.


Matthew Corbett era

Following his father's retirement,
Matthew Corbett Matthew Corbett (born Peter Graham Corbett on 28 March 1948) is an English former actor, singer, comedian, magician, puppeteer, television presenter, and writer, best known for presenting '' The Sooty Show'' and later '' Sooty and Co''. He is ...
took sole responsibility for the puppets on ''The Sooty Show'', although he was forced to forgo his own programme as a direct result. Matthew maintained the programme's format until 1981 before making changes. These included discontinuing the use of an audience and comedic sketches, dropping a number of puppet characters – leaving only Sooty, Sweep and Soo as the main stars – and switching the show to a sitcom format, set within a suburban home, in which Matthew and the puppets faced a misadventure in each episode. Elements such as slapstick comedy, comedic messes, practical jokes, music and guests remained a part of the programme under the new format. Alongside the transformation of ''The Sooty Show'', Matthew branched out into stage shows featuring Sooty, bringing him closer to his audiences. Production on the new format of the television programme was aided by Connie Creighton, who had worked alongside Matthew's father and was given a co-star role on several episodes, while following his mother's retirement from her role, the voice of Soo was cast to Brenda Longman; Sweep's handler was also replaced, with Brian Sanford replacing Matthew's brother. Episodes of the programme mostly were aimed at comedic value, but elements of education were included in some stories; a spin-off educational series generated for pre-school audiences, titled ''
Learn With Sooty ''Learn with Sooty!'' is a series of educational videos produced from 1989 to 1991, based on the British children's television series ''The Sooty Show''. It features the glove puppet characters Sooty, Sweep and Soo, and follows them in their m ...
'', was later released between 1989 and 1991 on home video, but never shown on television. Although Matthew had dropped several characters from the show's old format, some returned in a guest capacity, while a new one was introduced in 1990 called Little Cousin Scampi – a character that Matthew devised as being part of Sooty's family, and who communicated in the same manner as Sooty. ''The Sooty Show'' came to its conclusion in 1992, whereupon Matthew created a sequel for ITV that launched in 1993 under the title of '' Sooty & Co.''. The new programme operated under the same format as its predecessor, but with episodes set mainly within a bric-a-brac shop in Manchester. While Creighton remained a part of the programme for a number of series, Longman was given a physical role as co-star in several episodes, mainly as a regular customer named Mo, alongside her role as Soo's voice actor, with the programme featuring several stories that ventured out into new locations. Matthew continued to conduct further stage shows, and also entered himself and Sooty as guests on other programmes. In 1996, Matthew sold the rights to the ''Sooty'' brand to the Global Rights Development Fund (a subsidiary of the Bank of Yokohama) for £1.4 million, creating Sooty International Limited whose intentions would be to bring Sooty to "true international stardom", but leaving Matthew to be the frontman for the franchise. In 1997, Matthew devised an animated spin-off, titled ''Sooty's Amazing Adventures'', which ran between 1997–98 and featured a different style of adventures to the live-action show, including voices for Scampi and Sweep, and a different voice actor for Soo. The spin-off lasted two series, before Matthew concluded it in preparation for his retirement in December 1998, following the finale of ''Sooty & Co.''


Richard Cadell era

file:Soo and Sooty.jpg, Soo ''(left)'' made her debut in 1964 and has remained a part of the franchise since her first appearance. Following his retirement, Matthew Corbett bequeathed his puppets to
Richard Cadell Richard Cadell (born 23 March 1969) is a British illusionist, puppeteer, actor and screenwriter, best known for being the in-vision presenter and the hand of puppet Sooty since succeeding Matthew Corbett in 1998. Biography In June 2008 (Sooty' ...
, a fan of Sooty and a skilled magician, who produced a new ''Sooty'' programme for ITV titled ''
Sooty Heights ''Sooty Heights'' is a British children's television series, created and presented by Richard Cadell, co-stars Liana Bridges and Brenda Longman, produced by Granada Television, and aired on the CITV block of ITV from 27 September 1999 to 11 ...
'', which launched in 1999. Like its predecessor, the new programme stuck to the same format, but with episodes set within a beachside hotel that the characters ran, with Cadell joined by Liana Bridges – a co-star whom he worked with on a number of episodes in the final series of ''Sooty & Co.'' By the end of 1999,
The Britt Allcroft Company Gullane Entertainment Limited was a British independent production company which produced children's programming, including ''Thomas & Friends'' (1984–2021), '' Shining Time Station'' (1989–1995), '' The Magic Adventures of Mumfie'' (1994– ...
, owners of ''
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' is a British children's television series which aired from 9 October 1984 to 20 January 2021. Based on ''The Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher, the series was developed for television by Brit ...
'', had purchased a 50% stake in the franchise from Sooty International Limited, and created a joint-venture company called Bridgefilms (Also known as Sooty Limited), which would also handle distribution rights to existing Britt Allcroft property ''
Magic Adventures of Mumfie ''Magic Adventures of Mumfie'' (full on-screen title: ''Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie'') is a British animated children's television series and movie, inspired by the ''Mumfie'' books written and illustrated by Katharine Tozer (19 ...
''. The Britt Allcroft Company was rebranded as
Gullane Entertainment Gullane Entertainment Limited was a British independent production company which produced children's programming, including ''Thomas & Friends'' (1984–2021), ''Shining Time Station'' (1989–1995), '' The Magic Adventures of Mumfie'' (1994–1 ...
in 2000. While Cadell continued to operate stage shows and produce a second spin-off series, titled ''Sooty's Magic'', for the direct-to-video market, ''Sooty Heights'' was changed by Gullane Entertainment in 2001. As well as being renamed as ''
Sooty Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in '' The Sooty ...
'', it also saw Bridges being replaced with Vicki Lee Taylor, the presentation style of the programme being changed, including the stage sets, and the addition of two new puppet characters to the cast: the return of Butch; and the introduction of a new character called Miki – a Brazilian cat. In July 2002, Gullane Entertainment accepted a deal to be acquired by fellow children's company
HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (stylised as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sophie Turn ...
, the owners of franchises such as ''
Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment which ran from to in the United Kingdom through the CBBC strand and later CBeebies. The series centres on the adventures ...
'' and '' Barney''. Following the purchase, the then-current TV series went under severe budget cuts, which included new puppet designs for the characters and effectively saw several puppeteers, including Longman, leaving the programme. HIT continued to struggle with the franchise from this point forward, seeing it as having little "international appeal" and attempted to put their stake in the Sooty Limited joint-venture with ProVen Private Equity up for sale in December 2002, with
Entertainment Rights Entertainment Rights PLC (formerly known as Sleepy Kids PLC and SKD Media PLC) was a British multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that specialised in television shows and cartoons, children's media, films, and distribution. ...
as an interested purchaser. However, nothing came forward of these plans and eventually the then-current series was cancelled by ITV in 2004. By 2005, HIT had been sold to
Apax Partners Apax Partners LLP is a British private equity firm, headquartered in London, England. The company also operates out of six other offices in New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Munich and Shanghai. As of March 2024, the firm had raised and adv ...
and was in heavy debt. The company was unable to offer ITV a new series in 2006 and in October 2007 the company officially announced that they had put the Sooty Limited/Bridgefilms subsidiary up for sale. In June 2008, Cadell bought the rights from HIT, with the intention of saving the franchise and ensuring its future. Alongside conducting new stage shows, he also began work on producing a new programme, which eventually launched on
CITV CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...
in 2011 under the title of ''
Sooty Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in '' The Sooty ...
''. Although the format remained the same, the setting changed to misadventures within a holiday park that they helped to run, while scripts were aimed at younger audiences. Filming of the series took place at Brean Leisure Park, which Cadell co-owned with his brother, until it was put up for sale in 2014. Additional series were still made, but focused on other locations, with the programme moving to
ITVBe ITVBe was a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. Launched on 8 October 2014, the channel was positioned as a spin-off of ITV2 targeting a female audience, focusing primarily upon reality an ...
. Cadell continued to keep Sooty in the public eye, making guest appearances with him, and at times the other characters, on other programmes. In 2017, Sooty was officially inducted into The Magic Circle based upon the magic tricks he conducted with his handlers. After the expiry of the licence at Brean, Cadells Limited announced in February 2022 to sign a new deal with Crealy Theme Park & Resort to open a Sooty-focused theme park area in May 2022.


Stage show history


1984 – 1998

During Matthew Corbett's reign, seven stage shows were performed repetitively. For the first half of the tours, Matthew and Connie Creighton would present, and during the second half, while Matthew was busy writing and filming the TV shows, Connie and Spencer K. Gibbens would present. * ''Sooty's Creepy Castle'' (1984/1985 – 1991/1992) * ''Sooty's Picnic'' (1985/1986 – 1992/1993) * ''Sooty's World Cruise'' (1986/1987 – 1993/1994) * ''Sooty's Wild West Show'' (1987/1988 – 1994/1995) * ''Sooty in Space'' (1988/1989 – 1995/1996) * ''Sooty's Circus'' (1989/1990 – 1996/1997) * ''The House That Sooty Built'' (1990/1991 – 1997/1998)


1998 – 2004

After Matthew retired, six stage shows toured the country. All starred Richard Cadell; three of them also featured Richard's ''Sooty Heights'' co-star, Liana Bridges, with the fourth starring Amanda Howard in Liana's place. * ''Sooty's Magical Mystery Tour'' (1998/1999) * ''Sooty's Treasure Hunt'' (1999/2000) * ''Sooty's Magic Farm'' (2000/2001) * ''The Magic and Mayhem Tour'' (2001/2002) * ''The Izzy Wizzy Tour'' (2002/2003) * ''The Comedy and Chaos Tour'' (2003/2004)


2005 – 2008

From 2005 to 2008, annual shows, featuring the puppet characters and various different presenters, toured around the UK. *''The Wet and Wild Show'' (2005) *''The Izzy Wizzy Holiday Show'' (2006) *''Sooty's Magic Castle'' (2007) *''Sooty's Magic Wand Factory'' (2008)


2009 onwards

From 2009, stage shows again featured Richard Cadell. The first, ''Sooty in Space'', was a reworking of one of Matthew Corbett's scripts, and toured the country throughout the year. * ''Sooty in Space'' (2009) * ''The Sooty Christmas Show'' (2011) –
Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...
, London, and 2016–7 at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. * ''The Sooty Show'' (2012) –
Butlins Butlin's is a chain of large Seaside resort, seaside resorts in the United Kingdom, incorporated as Butlins Skyline Limited. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1 ...
at
Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), also known as Bognor, is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns include Littleham ...
,
Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and close to the Exmoor National Park. T ...
and
Skegness Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 21,128 as of 2021 ...
* ''Sooty in Space'' (2012) – Duchess Theatre, London * ''The Sooty Show'' (2014/15) * ''Wizard of Oz'' (2016) – Easter tour * ''The Sooty Show'' (2017) * ''Sooty’s Magic Show'' (2019 – 2022)


Film

On 20 June 2014 the ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' confirmed that ''Sooty: The Movie'' was in production. It was set to go in production in 2016. Wink Taylor, Alex Skerratt and Richard Cadell were writing the film. Cadell confirmed that Matthew Corbett would appear in the movie. In 2021 ''Sooty and The Trifle of Doom'' was announced to be distributed by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution.


Merchandise


Books

For most years from 1957 to 1998, there was a Sooty '' Annual''; no annual was published in 1987, 1988, or 1990. The early annuals were published by the London ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
''. Later annuals were published by Purnell and Sons. The annuals feature an expanded cast of characters including: * Sooty, who is shown as white not yellow and wears red trousers. * Sweep, also white not grey, who walks on all fours like a normal dog, but can stand as a biped to play the bugle and so on. * Cokey the Clown, another close friend of Sooty's. * Mr Fusspot, Mayor of TV Town where the action takes place. * PC Nab, one of the police of TV Town. * Calico Joe, a fully clothed cat who smokes, always stands erect as a biped, and is a con man.


Discography

In 1956,
Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...
released a 78 r.p.m. record P.B.528. It contains (side 1) "Sooty" (by Corbett) performed by Marie Benson and also featuring Harry Corbett and Sooty with instrumental accompaniment, and (side 2) "Mr Dumpling" (by Heathcote) performed by Marie Benson with instrumental accompaniment. In 1961 an album "Sooty Entertains" was released. It contains Sooty's Concert, Sooty The Chef, Danger - Animals At Work, Sooty's Theatre, Double-Cross Quiz, The Music Lesson, Sooty's Music Festival & Sooty's Photographic Studio. All were also released as four singles. Two more singles were released with titles Sooty's Party Part One & Part Two, and Bedtime With Sooty and Sooty At The Organ. In 1965 an E.P. was released "Sooty & His T.V. Friends" featuring Sooty's Signature Tune, Soo, Sweep & Harry. In 1973 a single and album were released. The single was "Super Sonic Sooty Spug" with "My Friend and I" on the B-side. The album was ''Around the World with Sooty...Harry Corbett and Sweep''. This comprised eight songs with a linking story. The songs included both the A and B-sides of the single. These were released on the Music for Pleasure label.


Guest appearances

* Sooty and Sweep had appeared on a Rubber News sketch with
Alastair Burnet Sir James William Alexander Burnet (12 July 192820 July 2012), known as Alastair Burnet, was a British journalist and broadcaster, who had a career working in news and current affairs programmes, including a long career with Independent Televisi ...
on a Series 2 episode of ''
Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ...
''. * ''The Sooty Show'' had a number of celebrities from all walks of life making appearances on the show, including
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
drummer
Nicko McBrain Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain (born 5 June 1952) is an English musician, best known as the drummer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden since 1982. He is the third-longest serving member of the band, having appeared on each Iron Maiden album sin ...
who is a self-confessed Sooty fan and always has the puppet as a mascot on the front of his drumkit, and has occasionally donned a full size Sooty costume at shows as an entrance. *Sooty and Sweep had appeared as the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, respectively of the Puppet Government in ''
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'' episode " The Goodies Rule – O.K.?". Soo and Kipper the Cat also made cameo appearances. * A number of famous faces made cameo appearances – usually as themselves – in Sooty and Co, including
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,
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,
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, Barbie Wilde and
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. * Sooty and Matthew Corbett had appeared on a Christmas episode of '' They Think It's All Over'', attacking Nick Hancock with Sooty's water pistol after Hancock ruled against them in one game. Hancock exacted revenge by emptying a bottle of water over Corbett's head. * Sooty and Matthew Corbett appeared on a Christmas edition of
Noel Edmonds Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English businessman, and former television presenter, radio DJ, writer and producer. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK, pres ...
' comedy show '' Telly Addicts'' in 1993 when they put questions to the team which consisted of
Craig Charles Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2 ...
, Philippa Forrester, Diane Bull and
Gary Olsen Gary Olsen (born Gary Kenneth Grant; 3 November 1957 – 12 September 2000) was an English actor. He played Ben Porter on the BBC television sitcom '' 2point4 Children'' from 1991 to 1999. Biography Olsen was born in London and lived with ...
. *
Bobby Davro Robert Christopher Nankeville, known professionally as Bobby Davro (born 13 September 1958), is an English actor and comedian. He made his television debut in 1981 followed by breakthrough in ''Live from Her Majesty's'' (1983); this was follo ...
hosted a ''Sooty'' parody sketch called "Sooty in Soho" on his sketch show in 1989, which saw him doing an impression of Matthew and depicting Sooty and Sweep owning a brothel. The sketch was interrupted by the real Matthew Corbett showing up and assuring the audience that the Sooty which Davro had was an imposter. He then produced the real Sooty, who promptly squirted both Davro and Matthew with his water pistol. * Sooty and Matthew Corbett appeared in crossover episodes of
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...
's other mainstay of children's programming, ''
Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
''. The first episode of ''The Sooty Show '' from 1977 had guest appearances from the ''Rainbow'' gang. Another appearance was in the ''1000th Birthday Party'' episode in 1986 and finally the episode, "The VIP", which aired in 1990 and saw them performing a magic show for Zippy, George, Bungle and Geoffrey. * Sooty also appeared in the video for " Is This the Way to Amarillo" 2005 remake mimed by
Peter Kay Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. Born and raised in Farnworth, Kay studied media performance at the University of Salford and later began working part-time as a stand-up comedian. In 199 ...
. Sooty and his co star
Sweep Sweep or swept may refer to: Cleaning * Sweep, the action of using a brush to clean * Chimney sweep, a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys * Street sweeper, a person's occupation, or a machine that cleans streets * Swept quartz, a cle ...
appeared on the shoulders of Peter Kay as he ran down a corridor. * Sooty and Sweep appeared alongside Richard Cadell in June 2008, for a special 90th Birthday message for
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
. * Sweep made his first appearance on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
as himself in the eighth episode of the second series of '' The Harry Hill Show''. *Sooty, along with Sweep & Soo made an appearance in the music video for the official
Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
charity single with the 'All-star Animated Band' produced by Peter Kay in November 2009. *Sooty and Sweep appeared as surprise guests on
The Chris Moyles Show ''The Chris Moyles Show'' is the title given to two differing versions of a radio programme hosted by Chris Moyles, originally broadcast as '' Radio 1 Breakfast'' from 5 January 2004 to 14 September 2012, before transferring three years later ...
in his "Birthday Show" for
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
on 18 February 2011. *Sooty, Sweep and Soo were the guest judges on the fifth episode of the second series of '' The Matt Lucas Awards'', a TV programme originally shown on BBC One on Tuesday, 9 April 2013. *Sooty and Sweep made guest appearances on a special variety show ('We Are Most Amused and Amazed') in November 2018. The show was recorded live at the London Palladium (and later shown on prime-time ITV) in honour of the 70th birthday of the Prince of Wales in his presence and that of the Duchess of Cornwall. Sooty was introduced from the main stage by Jim Carter – the actor who plays the butler Carson in ''
Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...
''. *In 2013, UK Voiceover artist Peter Dickson gave Sooty a voice on a famous episode of ''The Sooty Show'' on TV, after remaining silent since 1948. *Richard Cadell and Sooty appeared on the BBC gameshow, ''Pointless Celebrities'', in 2017, where they read out a selection of questions on children's television, including, "Which member of the Royal Family did Sooty squirt in 1955?" (Prince Philip). After this, Sooty squirted the host, Alexander Armstrong, with his water pistol.


See also

* Trevor Hill


References


External links


The Official Sooty Website

Backstage with Sooty (1966)
Shows the complex animated props
Sooty , Behind the Scenes , Thames Television
Thames TV Show showing the production of the show back stage. {{Authority control Fictional bears Fictional hoteliers Fictional mute characters Fictional shopkeepers Fictional characters who use magic Gullane Entertainment Mass media franchises introduced in 1953 Television characters introduced in 1952 Television series by Mattel Television