Matthew Corbett (born Peter Graham Corbett on 28 March 1948) is an English former

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, singer,

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

, magician,

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the ...

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

, and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

, best known for presenting '' The Sooty Show'' and later '' Sooty and Co''. He is the son of Sooty's creator, Harry Corbett, and took over the show from his father in 1976. He retired in 1998.

Career

Corbett was born in Guiseley,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, on 28 March 1948. In the late 1960s he had to choose another name when joining the performing arts trade union Equity, as there was already a Peter Corbett registered. He kept his surname and chose to go by the first name Matthew, retaining the name throughout his television career. Corbett appeared in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' serial '' The Dæmons'' (1971) as a character called Jones and was a regular performer in the Thames Television children's show ''

Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...

'', where he sang and performed and wrote with Rod Burton and Jane Tucker as Rod, Matt and Jane; after he left they eventually became Rod, Jane and Freddy. In 1976, Corbett left ''Rainbow'' to take over ''The Sooty Show'' from his father Harry, who was retiring (he made a special guest appearance on ''Rainbow'' with Sooty in the episodes "1000th Birthday Party" and "The VIP"). Corbett retired in 1998 after 22 years, and chose Richard Cadell to replace him. In January 2008, he reappeared on television, presenting ''Locks and Quays'', a regional interest program shown in the

ITV Granada ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

area (

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

), featuring a journey from the east to the west coast of England, along waterways such as the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

estuary, the Aire and Calder Navigation and the

Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...

. On Sooty's 60th birthday in 2012, he said that the bear was "in, or should I say on, the right hands".

Personal life

Corbett's great-uncle was the fish and chip shop chain owner Harry Ramsden. Corbett contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

in 2020. He nearly died after he contracted

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, which led to

atrial fibrillation Atrial fibrillation (AF, AFib or A-fib) is an Heart arrhythmia, abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) characterized by fibrillation, rapid and irregular beating of the Atrium (heart), atrial chambers of the heart. It often begins as short periods ...

and had to spend 10 days in intensive care. As of 2020, he stated he and his wife planned to reside in a retirement village in

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Matthew 1948 births Living people Actors from the City of Leeds British magicians Comedians from West Yorkshire English children's television presenters English magicians English male comedians English male singers English male television actors English male writers English puppeteers Male actors from West Yorkshire People from Guiseley Television personalities from West Yorkshire

Career

Personal life

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links