Sooty (2011 TV series)

United Kingdom

The story

Sooty is a British children's television series, shown by ITV from 5 September 2011 to 8 October 2018. It was the fifth incarnation of the franchise to feature the titular puppet character Sooty. The programme focuses on the antics of Sooty, his friends Sweep and Soo, and the presenter, Richard Cadell, who run a holiday park near a seaside resort.

Overview

Sooty revolves around the storyline of Richard Cadell, the presenter starting a brand new job at 'Slater's Holiday Park' (filmed at Brean Leisure Park, which was co-owned by Cadell) set in an English coastal resort, who lives with Sooty (the titular character), Sweep and Soo, the group often causing chaos around the park, which gets Richard into trouble with the owner. Most episodes feature celebrity guests.
In June 2008, Cadell had acquired the rights to the Sooty franchise, and planned to bring back the character in a new series. Cadell spent £30,000 on a pilot episode in 2009, which led to ITV re-commissioning the series for 26 episodes.
Filming took place in July 2011, with scenes mainly filmed outdoors. Paul Daniels was injured after having a pizza thrown at him whilst filming an episode of the show.
In October 2014, BBC Worldwide was appointed the licensor for the series in Australia and New Zealand. Sooty returned in 2018 for its final series of six episodes.

Cast and characters

Richard Cadell as himself, the long-suffering presenter of the show who lives in a caravan with Sooty and the gang.
Sooty, the show's protagonist; a mute yellow bear who owns a magic wand whose power is invoked using the words "Izzy wizzy, Let's get busy!"
Sweep, a dim-witted grey dog, who communicates using bizarre squeaks.
Soo (voiced by Brenda Longman), a calm and collected female panda who acts as the foil for both Sooty and Sweep.
Martyn James as Mr. Slater, the short-tempered owner of the holiday park, who often threatens to give Richard the "sack".
Joe Pasquale as the Black Hand, Sooty's archnemesis who wears a distinctive yellow and black outfit.
Most episodes feature celebrity guests, including Matthew Corbett, Stacey Solomon, Frank Bruno, Peter Andre, Keith Chegwin and Ann Widdecombe.

Pilot (2009)

The series pilot, "The Big Day Out", was released direct-to-DVD on 28 August 2009. The episode features Brenda Longman, Wink Taylor and Mark Roper.

Series 1 (2011)

Broadcast Saturday and Sunday mornings on ITV1 at 7:25am.

Series 2 (2013)

Broadcast Saturday and Sunday mornings on ITV1 at 7:25am.

Series 3 (2018)

Broadcast Monday mornings on ITVBe at 9:15am.

Special (2022)

On 21 February 2022, a special episode was released to promote the opening of Sooty Land at Crealy Theme Park.