''Sooty'' is a British

children's television series 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 ...

, created and presented by

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' ...

, and premiered 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 ...

on 5 November 2001, running for three series. The programme is the fourth programme in the franchise of the same name, and replaced ''

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 ...

'', with Cadell supported by co-presenter Vicki Lee Taylor, and Brenda Longman during the first series, and Sheila Clark for the remaining series. The programme focuses on the exploits of the titular character and his puppet friends in their running of the hotel, and features many elements used in previous programmes. The show saw the return of a puppet character from the franchise, as well as the creation of a new character. The programme was originally produced by

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 ...

, before the production company was bought up by

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 ...

following the first series. HIT's decision to cut costs and make changes to the programme, including using new puppets, and the replacement of Soo's long term voice artist Brenda Longman, resulted in several members of production leaving the programme, including Vicki Lee Taylor and ''Sooty'' being eventually cancelled in January 2004 for many reason's including falling viewing figures. In conclusion, Cadell eventually brought the rights to Sooty and it's franchise and Longman was immediately asked back to continue her role as Soo. After a new pilot aired in 2009, a new series was commissioned in 2011 under the same name, ''

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 ...

''. This time, Richard, Sooty, Sweep and Soo quit running the hotel and began running a holiday park instead.

Premise

''Sooty'' focuses on the misadventures of the titular character of the programme and his friends – Sweep, Soo, and Little Cousin Scampi – managing a hotel alongside their close friends

and Vicki Lee Taylor. Along with them, the group are also joined by Butch – another dog whom the group have been with before, who attempts various jobs that the group find themselves assigning to him – and Miki – a Brazilian cat who joins the hotel as its chef. The programme functions on the same format as ''

'' and previous programmes in the ''

'' franchise, including slapstick humour, guest stars, and music and songs.

Cast

– presenter * Vicki Lee Taylor – co-presenter *

– a mute yellow bear who is the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

of the show. He owns a magic wand whose power is invoked using the words "Izzy wizzy, let's get busy". *

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 ...

– a dim-witted grey dog with a penchant for bones and sausages. He communicates using bizarre squeaks. * Soo – a calm and collected female panda who acts as the

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

for both Sooty and Sweep and usually wears a red skirt. She was voiced by her long-time voice actor Brenda Longman in Series 1, but was replaced with Sheila Clark for Season 2 and 3. *Little Cousin Scampi – Sooty's cousin, who is very cheeky and a serial troublemaker. He wears a navy-blue school uniform and, like Sooty, is mute. However, in this show he is rarely seen. *Butch The Dog – a bull dog who often visits the hotel. *Miki – a Brazilian cat who is also the hotel's chef. She is a new character made especially for this show.

Episodes

Series 1 (2001)

# "All New Sooty" (5 November 2001) # "A New Arrival" (6 November 2001) # "Sci Fi Sooty" (7 November 2001) # "It's My Party" (8 November 2001) # "Sweep Asleep" (9 November 2001) # "Sad Sad Sooty" (12 November 2001) # "It's a Dog's Life" (13 November 2001) # "Practice Makes Perfect" (14 November 2001) # "Night of a Thousand Bears" (15 November 2001) # "You Don't Scare Me" (16 November 2001) # "A Cat and Dog Thing" (19 November 2001) # "Favourite Things" (20 November 2001) # "Santa's Back" (21 November 2001) Source:From PC Sweep blog: http://members.tripod.com/sweeps_friend/page4.htm

Series 2 (2002)

# "Robo Richard" (15 October 2002) # "The Mysterious Visitor" (22 October 2002) # "Sooty's Pet" - (29 October 2002) # "Superheroes" (5 November 2002) # "Sooty in Charge" (12 November 2002) # "Sooty's Magic Garden" (19 November 2002) # "The New Gang" (26 November 2002) # "The Little Big People" (3 December 2002) # "Digging for Dinosaurs" (10 December 2002) # "Best Friends" (17 December 2002)

Series 3 (2003–2004)

All episodes were filmed and produced in 2002. # "Sooty's Baby" (27 October 2003) # "Double Trouble" (28 October 2003) # "Flying Fun" (29 October 2003) # "Sooty at the Seaside" (30 October 2003) # "Treasure Hunt" (31 October 2003) # "Water, Water Everywhere" (7 November 2003) # "Sooty's Ghost" (10 November 2003) # "Let's Get Camping" (17 November 2003) # "Sooty the Scientist" (28 November 2003) # "Keep Fit Sooty" (6 January 2004)

References

External links

''Sooty''
at itv.com/citv {{Sooty 2001 British television series debuts 2004 British television series endings 2000s British children's television series 2000s British workplace comedy television series British children's comedy television series British television shows featuring puppetry ITV children's television shows ITV comedy British English-language television shows Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Granada Television Television series by Mattel Television Sooty Gullane Entertainment