The Sooty Show

Context & Trivia

Sooty began life at a Blackpool joke stall in 1948, when Harry Corbett paid seven shillings and sixpence for a glove-puppet bear. Corbett blackened its nose and ears with soot — hence the name — and after BBC appearances from 1952 the character earned its own series in 1955. The glove technique Corbett used for Sooty left his other hand occupied, which is why his brother Leslie operated Sweep — introduced in 1957 — alongside him. Sweep's squeaky voice was produced with a saxophone-style reed, a sonic device that became as recognisable as the puppet itself. Soo the panda debuted in 1964; her voice and manipulation were handled by Harry's wife Marjorie Corbett until 1981, when Brenda Longman took over and occasionally appeared on screen in person.

A substantial portion of episodes from the Harry Corbett era is considered lost or was wiped, a common fate for British television recordings of the period. Some have since been rediscovered and remastered for DVD, including footage shot in the 1950s and 1970s intended to pitch Sooty to American broadcasters — material that never aired after the sudden death of the producer who commissioned it. In terms of puppet-in-action record, Sooty once soaked Prince Philip with his water pistol at a trade fair and reportedly avoided any fallout because Princess Anne was a devoted fan, and in a separate live performance drenched actress Janet Brown with black paint.