WHISPER it quietly, Sooty the bear is turning 75 next month – and to celebrate this landmark year, he will be visiting Chester as part of a big birthday tour.
Sooty, Sweep and Soo and their right-hand man of 25 years Richard Cadell are back with a celebratory theatre tour across the UK: ‘The Sooty Show - 75th Birthday Spectacular!’
Sweep is coming to Storyhouse.
Sooty and the gang will be bringing their much-loved mix of chaos, mischief and mayhem to 42 venues across the country, coming to Storyhouse Chester on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
The Sooty Show sits in the book of Guinness World Records as the longest-running children’s TV programme in the world. The legendary yellow glove puppet was bought on Blackpool North Pier in 1948 by Harry Corbett, who was looking to entertain his children whilst on their summer holiday.
Soo is coming to Storyhouse.
Corbett began performing with the puppet on the BBC from 1952, and the rest is history. Having been on the hands of Harry’s son Matthew Corbett during the 70s/80s/90s, Sooty has now been fronted for 25 years on ITV by Richard Cadell.
Sooty is celebrating his 75th birthday with a tour that heads to Storyhouse Chester. Pictured are Sooty and friends with Harry Corbett, Matthew Corbett and current right-hand man Richard Cadell.
With 75 amazing years in showbusiness under his belt, Sooty and his pals Sweep and Soo are planning a very special birthday party for their upcoming theatre tour. However, in true Sooty style, nothing goes to plan.
The party preparations are well under way: Sooty gets messy baking the birthday cake, Soo is trying to find the perfect party dress, and Sweep is practising his dance moves and needs some boys and girls to join in with musical statues. Meanwhile, Sooty is planning his biggest magic trick yet – making a member of the audience float in the air.
And audiences watch out for Sooty’s new water pistol; it’s turbocharged to reach right to the back of the theatre!
Special guests are on their way – old friends Butch The Bulldog and Ramsbottom The Snake will make an appearance, while circus superstar Michael Jordan joins direct from Blackpool’s famous Tower Circus with his jaw-dropping juggling. There will also be a chance to meet Richard and Sooty after the show.
With The Sooty Show continuing to air daily on ITV and the release of Sooty’s first Christmas single at the end of 2022, the iconic characters continue to delight generations of families across the world.
When asked about going on tour to celebrate Sooty’s 75th birthday, Sweep said: “Squeak, squeak squeak, squeak squeak squeak!”, while Sooty was not able to comment.
The Sooty Show - 75th Birthday Spectacular will be on April 3, 2024 at 2.30pm. For more information, visit https://www.storyhouse.com/event/the-sooty-show or call 01244 409113.
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