Sooty is a British children's television series, created and presented by Richard Cadell, and premiered on CITV 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, 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.
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 Richard Cadell 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 Sooty Heights and previous programmes in the Sooty franchise, including slapstick humour, guest stars, and music and songs.
Cast[]
- Richard Cadell – presenter
- Vicki Lee Taylor – co-presenter
- Sooty – a mute yellow bear who is the protagonist of the show. He owns a magic wand whose power is invoked using the words "Izzy wizzy, let's get busy".
- Sweep – 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 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.