This spring Sooty, Sweep and Soo are back in Worthing for Sooty’s 75th birthday extravaganza!
Sooty is officially the longest-running children’s TV program in the world! This cheeky yellow and black bear has been enchanting children and adults alike with his antics for 75 years. His skills as a magician have also seen him become the only non-human member of the magic circle! To wish Sooty a happy birthday we’re looking back on his incredible career and his many visits to Worthing over the last 75 years.
The History of Sooty
Who created Sooty?
Sooty began life in Blackpool in 1948, when an engineer named Harry Corbett purchased a little yellow hand puppet to entertain his children on holiday. Just four years later, Corbett and ‘Teddy’ went on to win a BBC talent competition, and became regular guests on children’s television. Now a TV star, Corbett redesigned Teddy’s appearance to stand out more in black and white. He apparently darkened the bear’s ears, eyes and nose with soot, thus renaming him Sooty.
Sooty on TV
After the duo got their own children’s TV show in 1955 they gradually introduced more puppet friends for Sooty, adding a new dynamic. Sooty remained the mute leader of the gang, who would perform magic tricks and squirt people with his water pistol. Sweep, a clumsy and innocent dog who communicates with squeaks was introduced in 1957. Then Soo came along in 1964, a sensible and caring panda who is the only one of the trio to speak.
Taking the British entertainment world by storm, Sooty became a household name – once even feeling cheeky enough to squirt Prince Philip with his water pistol during a royal visit! Sooty’s brand branched out into licensed games, instruments and magic sets, as well as replica puppets for children to enjoy at home. In 1976 Corbett and Sooty were both honoured with an OBE for services to children’s entertainment.
Sooty’s Presenters
Corbett passed the franchise to his son Matthew in 1975 but continued working with Sooty for the rest of his life. Matthew carried Sooty’s legacy for over 20 years, relaunching The Sooty Show with more of a sit-com structure. He also devised new touring stage shows that brought Sooty closer to his audiences. In 1999 Matthew Corbett handed care of Sooty and his friends over to Richard Cadell, a skilled magician. Cadell has continued to develop the franchise and entertain families all over the UK ever since. Cadell and Sooty make regular guest appearances on TV, and in 2017 Sooty was officially inducted into the magic circle! When he’s not on tour or TV you can now find Sooty in Sooty Land, at Crealy Theme Park and Resort in Devon.
Where is Sooty now?
It has been 25 years since Richard Cadell took on the role of Sooty’s handler. When asked about his time with Sooty, Cadell said: “Well, it only seems like five minutes ago, that’s for sure. It’s never felt like work. In fact, it’s hard to believe that for the last two and a half decades, I’ve made a living having pies put in my face and talking to myself!“
Sooty’s Impact
WTM’s resident film expert, James Tully is a life-long Sooty fan and shared his memories of Sooty:
“Sooty was the first theatre show I ever went to. I remember being absolutely mesmerised, I was at the front and Sooty squirted me with a water pistol.
“Once when I was out with my grandparents we came across a film crew making Sooty near Ditchling, they always hid behind things so you couldn’t see Sooty was a puppet. When they finished filming I got to say hello to them all, and to Matthew Corbett. It’s one of my all-time fave celeb meetings.
I had my own Sooty, who is very well loved now, he was so real to me. Once when I was angry I threw my Sooty puppet across the room and he hit the wall. Then I was upset that I had hurt Sooty so I cried and apologised to him for a long time. Sooty is the best.”
A recent survey by SKY revealed that Sooty and Sweep are still the nation’s favourite childhood TV characters. Reflecting on why Sooty and his friends have remained so popular, Cadell said “Well, firstly it’s a teddy bear and most children know and love teddy bears before they can speak… Everybody has had, or knows somebody that has a Sooty or Sweep puppet at home. And everyone can pretty much do the show behind their own settee! It’s also one of the very few shows that hasn’t changed and therefore when grandparents switch the television on for their children to watch, they know and recognise the same old things and they remember and love it all the more for that.”
Sooty in Worthing
You can book to see Sooty’s 75th Birthday Extravaganza now!
We are honoured that Sooty, Sweep and Soo have been visiting Worthing on their tours for decades. The Sooty Show regular, Connie Creighton would present Sooty and perform here alongside Spencer K. Gibbins who would often tour as host in Matthew Corbett’s place. Our Pavilion theatre hosted The House that Sooty Built in 1998, which was part of Matthew Corbett last tour as Sooty’s handler. We also hosted Richard Cadell’s first tour in Sooty’s Magic Factory in 2000! To look back on Sooty’s visits to Worthing, we dug through our archive to find Sooty’s most memorable visits to Worthing.
Sooty Colouring Activities
Get ready for Sooty’s Birthday Spectacular by colouring in these magical worksheets and colouring book. Click the images below to download a worksheet today.
Colouring In Contest
Send us a photo of your coloured in creations for a chance to win 4x tickets to The Sooty Show at Worthing Pavilion on Saturday 02 March 2024!
Check our contest T’s&C’s below for more info.
- To be in with a chance of winning 4x tickets to The Sooty Show (Worthing Pavilion, 02/03/24), share a picture of your coloured-in work with us by Monday 26 February.
- Email an image of your work, with your name, to Marketing@wtm.uk with the subject line “Sooty Colouring Contest”. Please include the full name and phone number of your parent/guardian, to help arrange collection of the tickets on the day of the show from our Box Office.
- Seats will be allocated by our Box Office team – we cannot guarantee specific seating but can take accessibility requirements into account when allocating your seats. Please include accessibility requests in your email.
- By submitting your work you agree to them being featured on WTM’s marketing channels, including social media.
Join us this March to celebrate Sooty’s 75th birthday with an incredible extravaganza.
