The Sooty Show facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Sooty Show |
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The Sooty Show title card (1981–1984)
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| Presented by | Harry Corbett (1955–1975) Matthew Corbett (1976–1992) |
| Starring | Marjorie Corbett (The voice of Soo from 1964–1981) Jon Gaunt (The voice of Sweep from 1984–1985) Brenda Longman (The voice of Soo from 1981–1992) |
| Composer(s) | Alan Braden |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 43 |
| No. of episodes | 481 (92 missing) |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | Teddington Studios |
| Running time | 10–20 minutes |
| Production company(s) | BBC (1955–1967) Thames Television (1968–1992) |
| Distributor | BBC (BBC series) Fremantle (Thames series) |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC (1955–1967) ITV (1968–1992) |
| Original release | 24 July 1955 – 30 November 1992 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Sooty & Co. (1993–1998) |
The Sooty Show was a super popular British children's television series. It was created by Harry Corbett and first shown on the BBC from 1955 to 1967. Later, it moved to ITV and aired from 1968 until 1992.
The show is part of the bigger Sooty world. It's all about the fun and sometimes messy adventures of a glove puppet bear named Sooty. He hangs out with his best friends, Sweep the dog and Soo the panda. A human handler, first Harry Corbett and later his son Matthew Corbett, helps them out.
From 1955 to 1975, Harry Corbett was the main presenter. When he retired, Matthew Corbett took over in 1976. Marjorie Corbett, Harry's wife, was the first voice of Soo from 1964 until 1981. After she retired, Brenda Longman became the voice of Soo.
The show started with short, funny sketches that often involved silly slapstick comedy, music, and stories. They even added a live audience later on! In the 1980s, Matthew changed the show's style. It became more like a sitcom, where he and the puppets lived in a country cottage. Each episode showed them having a new adventure. This new style still had songs, but it also added a narrator for scenes with just the puppets. Both versions of the show often had guest stars and lots of props for making messes!
The Sooty Show was a huge hit with kids, mostly because Sooty was so loved. It led to other shows like Sooty & Co. in 1993, plus many live stage shows. There was even an educational series called Learn With Sooty. You could also buy episodes of the show on VHS and DVD, especially from the 1980s and 1990s.
Contents
How the Show Changed Over Time
The Sooty Show had three main styles during its long run. Harry Corbett, the show's creator, was behind the first two. His son, Matthew Corbett, created the third style.
Early Adventures with Harry
The very first style was like a short cartoon. Harry Corbett would tell viewers about an adventure Sooty was having. Sometimes Sweep and Soo, who joined the show later, would be with him. The show sometimes took ideas from real life, like the space race in the 1960s, but made them funny for young kids. There was a lot of slapstick humour, which meant silly physical comedy, often using cream pies and water! This style grew over time, adding more characters and longer episodes.
Live Audience Fun
The second style was an improved version of the first, starting in the mid-1960s. These episodes were made up of several short sketches with Sooty and his friends. They performed in front of a live audience of young children. This version included music, storytelling, magic tricks, and even guest stars.
Harry Corbett kept this style when the show moved from the BBC to ITV in 1968. Matthew Corbett also kept this format when he took over from his dad in 1976, though Harry sometimes came back as a special guest.
Living in the Cottage: The Sitcom Years
In 1981, the show changed to its third and final style, which became famous for future Sooty shows. Matthew stopped using a live audience and the short sketches. Instead, it became a sitcom about a single adventure. Matthew, Sooty, Sweep, and Soo all lived together in a house. Some things from the old show stayed, like guest stars and music. A narrator was added for scenes where only the puppets were on screen. Storytelling was also kept, but it slowly faded out in the 1980s.
This new style sometimes included educational parts in the stories. They also built special miniature sets just for the puppets. These sets were so cool that they were used and updated in later Sooty shows. For example, a bathroom set was designed so its tiny taps and shower actually had running water!
Meet the Cast and Characters
The show had amazing people and puppets who made it so special!
The Presenters
- Harry Corbett (1955–1975) – Harry was the first presenter and the genius who created Sooty. He mostly ran the show with short, funny sketches. He also created Sweep and Soo to join Sooty. His most famous saying, which everyone after him continued to use, was "Bye bye, everybody. Bye bye." Harry even came back as a guest star when Matthew was presenting. He was given an OBE award for all his wonderful work with the show and characters after he retired.
- Matthew Corbett (1976–1992) – Matthew was the second presenter. He started in 1976 and kept his dad's show style until 1981. When the show changed to a sitcom, Matthew became like a kind, well-meaning dad on screen. But he was also a bit sarcastic and sometimes boasted a little, which made the funny chaos created by Sooty and Sweep even better!
- Marjorie Corbett (1964–1981) – Marjorie was the first voice of Soo, the talking female panda that her husband Harry created. She stayed with the show until after the first series of the new sitcom style. Brenda Longman, who took over as Soo's voice, said that Marjorie was replaced because her heavy smoking made her short of breath. Also, people felt she made Soo sound a bit too old.
- Brenda Longman (1981–1992) – Brenda became the second voice of Soo from the second series of the sitcom style. She also often appeared as different characters in the show. Brenda stayed with the show until it ended and continued to work with Matthew and the next presenter, Richard Cadell, on other Sooty shows.
The Puppet Characters
- Sooty – He's a yellow male bear who doesn't talk. He's the main character of the show along with the human presenters. Sooty is famous for tapping on the presenter's ear to whisper what he wants to say. He also has a magic wand, says the magic words "Izzy wizzy, let's get busy!", and loves using his water pistol!
- Sweep – A grey male dog and Sooty's best friend, created in 1957. His funny squeaky voice was made by his first puppeteer, Leslie Corbett, who used a saxophone reed in his mouth to make the sounds.
- Soo – A calm and smart female panda who speaks with a normal human voice. She was created in 1964. Soo was designed to be a balance to Sooty and Sweep's silliness, often acting like a mother figure. Harry's wife, Marjorie Corbett, first voiced her until 1981. After the show's style changed, Brenda Longman voiced her until the show ended in 1992.
- Butch – A dark brown male dog, similar to Sweep, but he could talk! Harry Corbett introduced him in the early 1970s. Matthew Corbett stopped using him in 1980, but Butch sometimes came back as a guest villain.
- Mr. Woof – A Yorkshire terrier who is a friend of Sweep. He communicates by barking, and he loves to eat and sleep.
- Ramsbottom – A brown male snake who spoke with a deep Yorkshire accent. He loved telling long, complicated stories and rhymes. Harry Corbett created him, but Matthew Corbett retired him. Bill Garrett, the company's model and prop maker, voiced him using his own strong Yorkshire accent and made the original puppet.
- Little Cousin Scampi – A white bear who doesn't talk, and he's Sooty's cousin. Matthew Corbett created him and introduced him in 1990. Scampi was designed to be a mischievous bear who loved pranks, inventing things, and taking care of mice. He became a regular character from 1991 and continued to be part of the Sooty family even after the show ended in 1992.
Episodes
The Show's Impact
The Sooty Show was incredibly popular with children and really helped the Sooty world grow. It led to more TV shows that used the sitcom style Matthew Corbett brought in during the 1980s. After The Sooty Show finished, it was followed by a new show in 1993 called Sooty & Co..
The show also created an educational spin-off series for young children called Learn With Sooty. This was made for video between 1989 and 1991. There were also many live stage shows featuring the puppets, Matthew, and Connie Creighton. Because of its early success, a short comic strip based on Sooty appeared in the children's magazine Playhour from 1960 to 1961, drawn by Gordon Hutchings.
Beyond the UK, The Sooty Show was also shown in other countries. These included ABC in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States.
