Blackpool, 1967: here I am, a little girl aged three, mesmerised by the spectacle of a live theatre performance of The Sooty Show. Can you imagine how excited I must have been, having only ever seen the show on black and white television prior to my trip to Blackpool? My mum tells me I sat enthralled watching the show, captivated by the bright primary colours and gazing at my favourite characters, Sooty, Sweep and Soo.
During the interval a photographer from the Blackpool Gazette invited my brother Stephen and me to go backstage to meet Sooty and Harry Corbett. My brother is on the left and I’m next to him, shaking Sooty’s little paw.
The photo above may be in black and white but the memories are in glorious colour.
This photo is an entry for Tara Cain’s Gallery, the theme this week is Black and White.
Aww how cute! I used to like Sooty too.
Memories like that are glorious! You look so amazed by it all!
Sarah – are we showing our age? The young ones probably remember Matthew Corbett rather than his dad!
Tattie – My mum says that's why the photographer chose me as I'd sat so goggle-eyed watching the show. So glad I found the photo again today.
Oh my God you've met Sooty!!!!!! How cool is that. I had the glove puppet. And yes I remember Harry not Matthew.
Talking about childhood memories, have I told you about the time Mike and Bernie Winters (and Schnorbitz) were opening a supermarket in Dawlish, Devon? There was such a stampede and I was so small, I somehow got pushed into a chest freezer. Happy memories.
What a great photo to have found.
Deer Baby – I KNOW!! My claim to fame.
Chortling to myself, thinking of you ending up with the Findus pancakes. But hey, surely worth it for Mike and Bernie
I loved Sooty. I remember seeing nooky bear and crying the whole way through!
The Mad House – You cried at Nooky? I love Nooky ;-))))
Starstruck at such an early age…you must have some thespian in your family history somewhere!
and I remember Harry too!
Libby – a friend of mine saw this post today and laughed saying "You were in the paper at the age of three?! Just when I thought you couldn't get any more showbiz".
Blame my mother: she's the singer/performer in the family who got me started!
Ha ha I'm going to have to tell my mother this and ask why I wasn't taken too! Start a little bit of family rivalry!
Expat Mum – We went to Blackpool…na, na, na, na, na!
How fab. Sue was always my favourite! Mich x
Awww that's lovely. x
Ah, childhood. I can remember when I thought Sooty and Sweep were the bees knees. And Basil Brush. And now the latter has made a comeback on CBBC and my own kids love it.
Wow! Great photo! I always preferred Sweep myself though. Just because he was funny 🙂
Backstage with Harry Corbett – wow, I can only say WOW !
What a gorgeous photo!
Michelle – she was rather sweet and often bossed the two naughty boys around, didn't she!
V Bored – thanks missus: I agree 😉
Steve – Basis Brush keeps getting a second wind every few years.
Mummy mishaps – You're right, Sweep was the fun one. Sooty never made a noise, just whispered in Harry's ear!
Kelloggsville – I could dine out on this I think.
Oh wow!! I remember Sooty. Lovely pic – you all look so excited!
Wow, wow, wow! This is a CLASSIC! Fabulous photo and put a big smile on my face, as well as bringing back some fond 'Sooty and Sweep' memories 🙂
Visiting from The Gallery
I loved Sooty! That is so awesome you have that photograph as a reminder!
Fame of the highest magnitude!!
I'm afraid I have no idea who Sooty is, but clearly this was a very happy occasion!
That picture is gorgeous!
Glad to be bringing back old memories for you all, apart from Mom-on-a-Wire who can be forgiven for not knowing who Sooty is (you've missed out on so much…Izzy Wizzy, let's get Busy!)
OMG you met Sooty!! Was Harry Corbett horrible? Did I imagine reading somewhere that he didn't like kids very much? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else…
Nikkii – I don't remember him much; more focused on the bear. I think I've read of a comedian/children's entertainer not liking children but not sure it was him.
This is such a sweet photo – and you are shaking Sooty's paw! I don't remember Harry but didn't his son take over? I was going to say Ronnie but that's another Corbett altogether!
Make do mum – his son was Matthew who took over the show. The original Sooty puppet was bought by Harry for his son when he was little and the show was born from that!
Great photo, although I've always thought that Sooty was more suited to the radio than TV!
Wow! Black and white photo making me green with envy…you MET SOOTY!!!
I want to meet Sooty too! What a lovely memory. Jen
Thats a great picture but the story that goes with it is lovely. I can imagine how exciting the whole thing was for you.
What a great memory captured forever.
That is a wonderful picture – what a fabulous memory to have a record of. I am so jealous of your meeting with Sooty! I don't remember Harry, but loved Matthew…
Oh that is fab. What a wonderful experience for you at such a young age.
Another Sooty fan!!! I had the Sweep glove pupped which had a squeaker thing inside so it really made a noise like Sweep!! (sadly, that makes me feel happy to think about it – oh dear! Tell me I'm not a saddo!!). You look so enthralled in the photo – not surprising, it was certainly an event to remember. My parents once spent a week in Madeira with Matthew C and his wife – they just met up by the pool one day, and got on like a house on fire – that's my only weak claim to Sooty fame!!
I can't believe the number of Sooty fans out there!
Troy – Ah I can rely on you for making me laugh out loud. When you think about it, we were easily pleased, seeing a puppet 'whisper' into Harry's ear for him to say 'What was that Sooty? Sweep's being naughty?"
Diney – I think your claim to fame is a great one. It's like that Top Tenuous thing they have on Radio 2. Oh and my husband Dougie used to have a Sweep too 🙂
Nice pic, very authentic ! And most of all precious souvenir, gave me goose bumps (I'm not sure it's the good word, in french we say "chair de poule ": chick skin ?)
Gorgeous pic! @missym put us both on a #ff so thought I'd pop over and check out blog, glad I did!
Sister 3 – 'chair de poule' – that's a perfect description of goosebumps, just a chicken rather than a goose??
Bigwords – thank you for coming over. I read a post of yours on Notes from Lapland and it made me laugh so will pop over to see you 'at home' very soon!
I'd forgotten about Sooty. What a beautiful memory – all excitement and awe/wonder. Great!
My favourite was Butch. He was very underrated.
😉
Meltdown mum – another fan…all these great memories I've sparked with this photo.
Clippy Mat – Butch!! I'd forgotten. I think he scared me: wasn't he a bit like Phil Mitchell, an East-end hard man (dog)?
Oooh Sooty! I LOVED sooty as a kid, brilliant!