49-496: Crealy Country Crealy Theme Park & Resort , formerly Crealy Adventure Park & Resort , is a family theme park in Southwest England with over 60 rides, attractions, live shows, animal attractions and Sooty Land . Just outside Exeter in over 100 acres of countryside, it also has a large lodge, campsites and variety of entertainment and sport facilities. The park opened in 1989. The land for Crealy Theme Park & Resort
98-618: A spinning wild mouse , is the largest ride in the park. In 2011, following some refurbishments, Devon County Council granted owners Maximum Fun a licence to keep various exotic animals and operate Crealy as a zoo. The first animals to be exhibited were Meerkats . In 2012, the park opened accommodation nearby at Crealy Meadows Caravan and Camping Park. Now known as Crealy Meadows, the site offers camping and caravan pitches, themed tents, and luxury lodges and glamping . In February 2019, Crealy abandoned zero-hour contracts for its staff in favour of permanent roles. The park speculated that it
147-452: A "xylophone", but in reality a toy glockenspiel – based upon the same instrument used by Sooty up until the 1980s. The creation of the franchise is traced back to 1948, when Corbett came across an all yellow bear glove puppet during a holiday in Blackpool . Purchasing the item, he made use of it to entertain his children during that time, including his newborn son Peter (Matthew), naming
196-596: A Sooty-focused theme park area in May 2022. During Matthew Corbett's reign, seven stage shows were performed repetitively. For the first half of the tours, Matthew and Connie Creighton would present, and during the second half, while Matthew was busy writing and filming the TV shows, Connie and Spencer K. Gibbens would present. After Matthew retired, six stage shows toured the country. All starred Richard Cadell; three of them also featured Richard's Sooty Heights co-star, Liana Bridges, with
245-554: A co-star whom he worked with on a number of episodes in the final series of Sooty & Co. By the end of 1999, The Britt Allcroft Company , owners of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends , had purchased a 50% stake in the franchise from Sooty International Limited, and created a joint-venture company called Bridgefilms (Also known as Sooty Limited), which would also handle distribution rights to existing Britt Allcroft property Magic Adventures of Mumfie . The Britt Allcroft Company
294-430: A dog and friend of Sooty, who would be portrayed as being dim-witted but good-natured and innocent, who would often make mistakes that would cause problems for others, often get his own back on others when tricked, and have an obsession with bones. An aspect of the character's design was his voice – in performances he would speak in a high-pitched squeak that would have some form of sentences, but would often be translated by
343-465: A magic wand, which he uses for spells conducted to the catchphrase of "Izzy wizzy, let's get busy!" – which Corbett devised – and tapping it to " Shave and a Haircut "; and a water pistol, which symbolises his cheekiness by often being used to soak others around him – including on programmes he is a guest on, such as soaking talk show hosts. On television programmes, the presenter – Sooty's owner and main puppeteer – often acts as narrator for scenes involving
392-403: A mixture of slapstick comedy, prop comedy – ranging from gunge , custard pies and water pistols – magic tricks, and music. All routines in both are primarily aimed at providing family-friendly entertainment suitable for young children. In addition, the franchise also include merchandising, ranging from annuals to toys. One such product that was sold was a toy musical instrument – referred to as
441-469: A new programme, which eventually launched on CITV in 2011 under the title of Sooty . Although the format remained the same, the setting changed to misadventures within a holiday park that they helped to run, while scripts were aimed at younger audiences. Filming of the series took place at Brean Leisure Park , which Cadell co-owned with his brother, until it was put up for sale in 2014. Additional series were still made, but focused on other locations, with
490-494: A sequel for ITV that launched in 1993 under the title of Sooty & Co. . The new programme operated under the same format as its predecessor, but with episodes set mainly within a bric-a-brac shop in Manchester. While Creighton remained a part of the programme for a number of series, Longman was given a physical role as co-star in several episodes, mainly as a regular customer named Mo, alongside her role as Soo's voice actor, with
539-553: A single and album were released. The single was "Super Sonic Sooty Spug" with "My Friend and I" on the B-side. The album was Around the World with Sooty...Harry Corbett and Sweep . This comprised eight songs with a linking story. The songs included both the A and B-sides of the single. These were released on the Music for Pleasure label. Richard Cadell Richard Cadell (born 23 March 1969)
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#1733092873541588-484: 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. In June 2008 (Sooty's 60th Anniversary), Richard, together with his brother David, reportedly paid close to £1 million for the global rights for the Sooty brand through their new company, Cadells Ltd. As well as annually touring with live shows, Cadell
637-447: Is credited as the co-writer and executive producer of the Sooty television series which is currently transmitted daily on ITVBe. Cadell's involvement with Sooty began with a guest appearance on a Christmas episode of The Sooty Show in 1985; then in the last series of Sooty & Co. , he and Liana Bridges joined the cast as employees of the titular store. He is a Gold Star Member of
686-508: Is kind-hearted but also cheeky. Sooty performs magic tricks and practical jokes, and squirts his handler and other people with his water pistol. The franchise itself also includes several other puppet characters who were created for television, as well as an animated series, two spin-off series for the direct-to-video market, and a selection of toy merchandising. The franchise remained in the ownership of Corbett until his retirement in 1976, before being passed on to his son Matthew . The rights to
735-555: The BBC: Sweep in 1957, handled by his brother Leslie Corbett, and Soo in 1964, voiced by his wife Marjorie and brought in after backlash on the BBC's desire not to include a female character. In 1967, Corbett fell into disagreement with the BBC , in particular with the new controller of BBC1 that year, Paul Fox , who decided that Corbett be replaced with another person presenting his programme. Faced with
784-555: The London Daily Mirror . Later annuals were published by Purnell and Sons . The annuals feature an expanded cast of characters including: In 1956, Philips Records released a 78 r.p.m. record P.B.528. It contains (side 1) "Sooty" (by Corbett) performed by Marie Benson and also featuring Harry Corbett and Sooty with instrumental accompaniment, and (side 2) "Mr Dumpling" (by Heathcote) performed by Marie Benson with instrumental accompaniment. In 1961 an album "Sooty Entertains"
833-475: The age of six. Swampy and Dina are resident characters. 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 Show in 1955. The main character, Sooty, is a mute yellow bear with black ears and nose, who
882-557: The bumper boat lake. In 1994, the cows were sold so that their barns could be used for undercover attractions. The next year, the Adventure Zone was opened. In 1997, the Magical Kingdom (formerly Buddy Bear's Kingdom and now The Pier) was opened. In 2000 the park's first rollercoaster was added – a Vekoma Junior Coaster called Maximus. Further rollercoasters were added in 2014 and 2015. Its 2015 addition, Twister Rollercoaster,
931-416: The character and other puppets, thus providing a 'voice' for Sooty during their narration to portray the character speaking normally with other puppet characters. The other two characters in the franchise were created to accompany Sooty in performances, effectively forming the backbone of television and stage shows, and were created by Corbett. The first character, Sweep, introduced in 1957, was designed to be
980-405: The character tends to sometimes hate being tricked by the others, but does not mind enjoying a laugh when someone else is being tricked. Unlike the other two, Soo was designed to have a voice, in order to provide ease in production of television episodes. After his initial performances with his puppet between 1952 and 1955, Harry Corbett introduced Sooty officially with his own programme, Sooty ,
1029-426: The character was cheeky and naughty, fond of playing practical jokes, but was also kind-hearted and good. Part of the character's design that Corbett devised, was for Sooty being mute in his appearances and thus communicating with others by 'whispering' in their ear, to which the recipient often repeats what was said for the audience to understand. The character often retains two items that are iconic in his appearance:
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#17330928735411078-565: The characters and effectively saw several puppeteers, including Longman, leaving the programme. HIT continued to struggle with the franchise from this point forward, seeing it as having little "international appeal" and attempted to put their stake in the Sooty Limited joint-venture with ProVen Private Equity up for sale in December 2002, with Entertainment Rights as an interested purchaser. However, nothing came forward of these plans and eventually
1127-431: The finale of Sooty & Co. Following his retirement, Matthew Corbett bequeathed his puppets to Richard Cadell , a fan of Sooty and a skilled magician, who produced a new Sooty programme for ITV titled Sooty Heights , which launched in 1999. Like its predecessor, the new programme stuck to the same format, but with episodes set within a beachside hotel that the characters ran, with Cadell joined by Liana Bridges –
1176-620: The fourth starring Amanda Howard in Liana's place. From 2005 to 2008, annual shows, featuring the puppet characters and various different presenters, toured around the UK. From 2009, stage shows again featured Richard Cadell. The first, Sooty in Space , was a reworking of one of Matthew Corbett's scripts, and toured the country throughout the year. On 20 June 2014 the Radio Times confirmed that Sooty: The Movie
1225-605: The franchise to his son Peter, who was now performing in children's television under the stage name of Matthew Corbett, with his own programme. Corbett's role in children's television earned him an OBE for his services in January 1976, with his character Sooty being given a special one alongside him during his ceremony. He continued to provide assistance on The Sooty Show as a guest star, making his final appearance in 1984 – five years before his death in 1989. Following his father's retirement, Matthew Corbett took sole responsibility for
1274-472: The franchise were sold in 1996 to a development firm who formed a holding company for the property, with Matthew later retiring and handing over control of the puppet characters to Richard Cadell in 1998. After initial ownership changes from Gullane Entertainment to HIT Entertainment , the franchise suffered some setbacks in 2004, and eventually Cadell bought the rights in June 2008. He has since focused on ensuring
1323-409: The frontman for the franchise. In 1997, Matthew devised an animated spin-off, titled Sooty's Amazing Adventures , which ran between 1997–98 and featured a different style of adventures to the live-action show, including voices for Scampi and Sweep, and a different voice actor for Soo. The spin-off lasted two series, before Matthew concluded it in preparation for his retirement in December 1998, following
1372-527: The inclusion of songs and music. The glove puppet gained a sufficient profile from television exposure that his likeness became a feature on charity collection boxes used by the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the late 1950s. Corbett expanded on the programme further with the inclusion of story-telling, and the creation of additional characters that would co-star with Sooty. The two most prominent additions were made during his tenure with
1421-422: The main puppeteer for the audience to understand more clearly. The concept was created by Corbett's brother Leslie through the use of a saxophone reed, and became a permanent element of the character upon his debut. The second character, Soo, introduced in 1964, was designed as a panda bear, who would be portrayed as sweet, shy, and mainly responsible, acting as a motherly character to the other two. In later years,
1470-556: The part of a villain; Ramsbottom, a snake; and 'Enry the Robot, a robot with light up eyes who keeps breaking down. Alongside his television work, Corbett also created travelling shows with Sooty and various works for charity, but the switch to ITV created a tighter schedule that increased his workload. As a result, Corbett's work affected his health badly, culminating in him having a heart attack in December 1975. Knowing he would need to retire, Corbett opted to hand over control of his puppets and
1519-605: The programme featuring several stories that ventured out into new locations. Matthew continued to conduct further stage shows, and also entered himself and Sooty as guests on other programmes. In 1996, Matthew sold the rights to the Sooty brand to the Global Rights Development Fund (a subsidiary of the Bank of Yokohama ) for £1.4 million, creating Sooty International Limited whose intentions would be to bring Sooty to "true international stardom", but leaving Matthew to be
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1568-498: The programme moving to ITVBe . Cadell continued to keep Sooty in the public eye, making guest appearances with him, and at times the other characters, on other programmes. In 2017, Sooty was officially inducted into The Magic Circle based upon the magic tricks he conducted with his handlers. After the expiry of the licence at Brean, Cadells Limited announced in February 2022 to sign a new deal with Crealy Theme Park & Resort to open
1617-489: The property to the public in 1989 as The Shire Horse Centre. The property was then sold to Crealy Great Adventure Parks in 2004, and was branded as Cornwall's Crealy. Following an acquisition in 2015, John Broome CBE purchased Cornwall's Crealy and rebranded it as Camel Creek Adventure Park . The park attracts approximately 200,000 people a year. Major rides include the new 5D Simulator, Morgawr, The Beast, Raging River and Thunder Falls. Camel Creek targets younger children up to
1666-446: The prospect of this or his programme being cancelled, Corbett decided to sign a deal with ITV to bring Sooty to commercial television, having earlier performed with the character in one of the channel's first product advertisements. The newly established franchise Thames Television would make the programme. The move led to him expanding on the characters that featured in the programme, including: Butch, another dog who occasionally plays
1715-620: The puppet Teddy. In time, his use of the puppet to entertain children with a variety of comedic routines and magic tricks earned him a place on the BBC 's talent competition, Talent Night , being held at Belle Vue, Manchester in 1952. Corbett proved popular with viewers and became the overall winner, landing him a job as a regular performer on the BBC children's show Saturday Special , where his puppet immediately appealed to children, turning him into an overnight success. Corbett opted to redesign Teddy's appearance to make him stand-out on black and white television screens. The overall change involved
1764-468: The puppets faced a misadventure in each episode. Elements such as slapstick comedy, comedic messes, practical jokes, music and guests remained a part of the programme under the new format. Alongside the transformation of The Sooty Show , Matthew branched out into stage shows featuring Sooty, bringing him closer to his audiences. Production on the new format of the television programme was aided by Connie Creighton, who had worked alongside Matthew's father and
1813-436: The puppets on The Sooty Show , although he was forced to forgo his own programme as a direct result. Matthew maintained the programme's format until 1981 before making changes. These included discontinuing the use of an audience and comedic sketches, dropping a number of puppet characters – leaving only Sooty, Sweep and Soo as the main stars – and setting the show to a sitcom format set within a suburban home, in which Matthew and
1862-524: The stage sets, and the addition of two new puppet characters to the cast: the return of Butch; and the introduction of a new character called Miki – a Brazilian cat. In July 2002, Gullane Entertainment accepted a deal to be acquired by fellow children's company HIT Entertainment , the owners of franchises such as Bob the Builder and Barney . Following the purchase, the then-current TV series went under severe budget cuts, which included new puppet designs for
1911-419: The survival of the brand with new stage shows and television programmes. The Sooty franchise is focused upon the adventures of Sooty, a glove puppet character created by magician and puppeteer Harry Corbett in the 1950s, alongside his other friends Sweep and Soo . Although mainly appearing in programmes for British children's television , Sooty also incorporates stage shows, both of which make use of
1960-613: The then-current series was cancelled by ITV in 2004. By 2005, HIT had been sold to Apax Partners and was in heavy debt. The company was unable to offer ITV a new series in 2006 and in October 2007 the company officially announced that they had put the Sooty Limited/Bridgefilms subsidiary up for sale. In June 2008, Cadell bought the rights from HIT, with the intention of saving the franchise and ensuring its future. Alongside conducting new stage shows, he also began work on producing
2009-522: The title was changed to The Sooty Show in 1967. The programme, run on BBC TV (later BBC1) between 1955 and 1967 and made as a replacement for Muffin the Mule , included a series of comedic sketches involving Sooty conducting simple tasks or ventures, which would sometimes go wrong and result in a mess that they would need to deal with. The show expanded on the routines used in episodes by featuring slapstick humour suitable for young children, magic tricks, and
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2058-502: The use of black dust (or 'soot') upon the ears and nose, which inspired Corbett to change the puppet's name from Teddy to Sooty. The new look cemented the foundations of the franchise. The franchise features three different characters, with the most prominent being the titular character himself – Sooty. Corbett's design for the character was that all his puppets were yellow bears who bore the distinct features of black ears and nose. When portrayed in performances on television and stage shows,
2107-528: Was bought from King's College, Cambridge in 1982. Its first visitors arrived in 1988 when it was operating as a farm, coming to see the cows being milked using its state-of-the-art dairy unit. It officially opened in 1989 as a working farm, Crealy the Great Farm Adventure, the same year its restaurant and Treetops playground were opened. In 1992, the name of the park changed to Crealy Country and more attractions were introduced, including quad bikes and
2156-443: Was given a co-star role on several episodes, while following his mother's retirement from her role, the voice of Soo was cast to Brenda Longman; Sweep's handler was also replaced, with Brian Sanford replacing Matthew's brother. Episodes of the programme mostly were aimed at comedic value, but elements of education were included in some stories; a spin-off educational series generated for pre-school audiences, titled Learn With Sooty ,
2205-455: Was in production. It was set to go in production in 2016. Wink Taylor, Alex Skerratt and Richard Cadell were writing the film. Cadell confirmed that Matthew Corbett would appear in the movie. In 2021 Sooty and The Trifle of Doom was announced to be distributed by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution. For most years from 1957 to 1998, there was a Sooty Annual ; no annual was published in 1987, 1988, or 1990. The early annuals were published by
2254-508: Was later released between 1989 and 1991 on home video, but never shown on television. Although Matthew had dropped several characters from the show's old format, some returned in a guest capacity, while a new one was introduced in 1990 called Little Cousin Scampi – a character that Matthew devised as being part of Sooty's family, and who communicated in the same manner as Sooty. The Sooty Show came to its conclusion in 1992, whereupon Matthew created
2303-642: Was one of the first theme parks in the country to do this. In February 2022, the park announced the opening of a Sooty -themed area for the May Half Term. It features four rides, a themed store, other themed attractions and a live show. It opened on May 28, 2022. Presently Crealy has over 60 rides, attractions and live shows. These include thrill rides, rollercoasters, water rides , and indoor and outdoor play areas. The Animal Barn houses zoo and farm animals. Terry Sandling bought Trelow Farm in Tredinnick and opened
2352-417: Was rebranded as Gullane Entertainment in 2000. While Cadell continued to operate stage shows and produce a second spin-off series, titled Sooty's Magic , for the direct-to-video market, Sooty Heights was changed by Gullane Entertainment in 2001. As well as being renamed as Sooty , it also saw Bridges being replaced with Vicki Lee Taylor , the presentation style of the programme being changed, including
2401-492: Was released. It contains Sooty's Concert, Sooty The Chef, Danger - Animals At Work, Sooty's Theatre, Double-Cross Quiz, The Music Lesson, Sooty's Music Festival & Sooty's Photographic Studio. All were also released as four singles. Two more singles were released with titles Sooty's Party Part One & Part Two, and Bedtime With Sooty and Sooty At The Organ. In 1965 an E.P. was released "Sooty & His T.V. Friends" featuring Sooty's Signature Tune, Soo, Sweep & Harry. In 1973
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