Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Harry CORBETT OBE (1918-1989)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Harry Corbett, puppeteer and entertainer, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a performance of The Sooty Show at the May Fair Theatre in London.
Harry, who was born in Bradford, played the piano as a youth and could have been a concert pianist if it wasn't for being partially deaf. He developed a show involving magic tricks and slapstick comedy with a yellow bear glove puppet, which he'd bought to entertain his children while on holiday in Blackpool in 1948.
His first professional appearance with the puppet, now renamed Sooty, was in the 1952 BBC television show Talent Night, which led to a regular slot on the BBC television children's show Saturday Special. Harry eventually got his own television series and became a regular children's favourite throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
At the end of the tribute, which celebrates Harry's 40 years in show business, Michael Aspel presented Harry with a tiny version of the Big Red Book for Sooty!
"Absolutely floored. I never, never, ever thought this would happen to me!"
programme details...
- Edition No: 747
- Subject No: 740
- Broadcast date: Wed 21 Dec 1988
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: Wed 14 Dec 1988
- Venue: Teddington Studios
- Series: 29
- Edition: 10
- Code name: Hand
on the guest list...
- Vincent Shaw
- Marjorie - wife
- Matthew - son
- Sallie - daughter-in-law
- Ben - grandson
- Tamsin - granddaughter
- Joe - grandson
- David - son
- Sue - daughter-in-law
- Thomas - grandson
- Alex - grandson
- Reg Dale
- Les - brother
- Muriel - sister-in-law
- Barney Colehan
- Janet Brown
- Steve Race
- Ray Newnes
- Sooty Filmed tributes:
- Charlie Drake
- Gerry Marsden
- Lisa - former pupil of Fountaindale School, Mansfield
- Debbie - former pupil of Fountaindale School, Mansfield
- Sweep
- Sue
related appearance...
- Peter Butterworth - Mar 1975
production team...
- Researchers: Tom Wettengel, David N Mason
- Writer: Roy Bottomley
- Directors: Brian Klein, David Clark
- Producer: Malcolm Morris
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
Screenshots of Harry Corbett This Is Your Life
It's not generally known but Michael is claustrophobic so was not happy when he was asked to surprise Harry Corbett on stage during a performance with Sooty. The difficulty came about because we needed Michael to walk onto the stage without Harry knowing it was him until the very last minute. A full size Sooty outfit was made and Michael was not keen to get into it. It fitted very well but Michael's hands were inside two Sooty paws and he felt that he was trapped inside with no way of getting out.
'Why would you want to get out?' I asked him innocently, but Michael was getting so panicky we had to do something.
In the end we cut off the ends of Sooty's paws and Michael stopped feeling quite so trapped. He did not now want to get out but knew that he could if he really wanted to. Please don't ask me to explain the logic of all that, suffice to say that it worked. Michael walked on as Sooty and Harry was well and truly 'teddied'.
Series 29 subjects
Mickey Rooney | Phil Collins | Paul Daniels | Tom Finney | Esther Rantzen | Richard Todd | Engelbert HumperdinckBarry McGuigan | Robert Maxwell | Harry Corbett | Cliff Morgan | Roy Hudd | Claire Rayner | Cyril Bertram Mills
Dora Bryan | Margaret Hayles | Denis Healey | Gillian Lynne | Nigel Mansell | Su Pollard