The Sooty Show Sweep Hand Puppet

Product Information

Sooty, Sweep and Soo puppets will be available to buy along with the mischievous yellow bear's water pistol he often soaked presenter Matthew Corbett with, and a selection of magic wands used by the characters.

Matthew Corbett was already an established TV actor by the 1970s with appearances on Doctor Who and the Children's ITV show Rainbow.Butch – A dark brown male dog, like Sweep, but able to talk. Introduced by Harry Corbett in the early 1970s, the character was withdrawn by his son Matthew in 1980, returning to guest star in the role of a villain.

Matthew Corbett also operated and voiced him on numerous occasions throughout the Sooty Show, Learn With Sooty and Sooty & Co. Matthew Corbett (1976–1992) – The show's second presenter. Matthew took over in 1976, having initially worked in children's television, and maintained the same format as his father up until 1981. After the show's format was changed to a sitcom-based arrangement, Matthew transformed himself on screen into a well-meaning father figure, but also a somewhat sarcastic character who was slightly conceited with pomposity and boasting, to complement the mayhem created by Sooty and Sweep. He started off as a stage and production manager before becoming one of the show's main puppeteers when he operated Sweep's voice.

Probably his most unusual characteristic is his method of communication. It consists of a loud high pitched squeak that gains its inflection from normal speech and its rhythm from the syllables in each word. The rest of the cast could understand Sweep perfectly, and would indirectly translate for the viewer. Brian Sandford - The Sooty Show, Sooty & Co., Sooty Heights, Sooty, Sooty (1987 - 2001, 2005 - presents) Matthew said that Peter was the inspiration behind developing the Sooty Show as episodes with a theme or story, as with sitcoms, rather than the being a series of sketches. He often played the role of Sweep’s dad and operated Sweep’s voice (originally created using a saxophone reed), notably during the dream sequence when Sweep appeared on Stars in their Eyes with his rendition of Nessum Dorma. His talents extended to making and repairing sets, as well as creating and painting both scenery and props. He also wrote a number of scripts, appeared as an extra and composed some of the music for the show – as Sooty would say: Izzy Wizzy, let’s get busy! After leaving the show briefly in 1985, Mr Jago rejoined in 1993 and worked there until he retired in the early 2000s.