Big Red Book

Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

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THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Harry Corbett, puppeteer and entertainer, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a performance of The Sooty Show on the stage of London's Mayfair Theatre.

In order to entertain his children while on holiday in Blackpool in 1948, Harry bought a yellow bear glove puppet, then called Teddy, in a novelty shop on the end of the resort's North Pier for seven shillings and six pence. His first professional appearance with the puppet, now renamed Sooty, was in a 1952 BBC television show, Talent Night. Harry soon had his own television series and became a regular children's favourite.

At the end of Harry's This Is Your Life - celebrates his 40th anniversary in show business - Michael 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

That's Entertainment

there's no business like it

The Big Red Book

the programme's icon

My Life in Their Hands

The Mirror interviews Michael Aspel

Janet Brown

Charlie Drake

Screenshots of Harry Corbett This Is Your Life

Producer Malcolm Morris recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is My 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'.