Sooty and Co. S3E9 (1995) - FULL EPISODE

Extinguishers. The shop is threatened with closure if it doesn't meet the required safety standards, but thankfully Mo drops by with a heap of fire-fighting equipment for Matthew to buy. Meanwhile, everyone's tied a knot in something as a memory aid, but no-one can remember why, plus we take a trip around a fire station. This episode was originally broadcast on Monday, 6th November, 1995, so the primary target audience is those born in the 80s or very early 90s. All are welcome, though.

I don't normally upload Sooty as there are far better channels than mine on YouTube that cater for our favourite little yellow bear, but I don't think this episode is currently 'out there', so here we are. I must stress though that Sooty was always one of my very favourite programmes way back then, although I'd stopped watching by the time The Sooty Show had become Sooty and Co (courtesy of the move from Thames to Granada). Is there anyone out there who didn't watch Sooty? He's almost the universal constant of the last 60+ years, and you still can't beat the Matthew Corbett era as far as I'm concerned. Why? Well, I think it comes down to simplicity. The plots don't confuse, the viewer is addressed directly when necessary, it's not patronising, and the jokes... It may seem like an insult to describe the humour as basic, but really many of the set pieces go right back to the fundamentals of comedy and wouldn't have looked out of place in the silent era. (Sneezing into the talc, looking directly at something that then sprays you in the face, etc. etc.) But then there's performance as well, and the way Matthew doesn't move away and continues to talk matter-of-factly as the fire extinguisher goes off is a prime example of augmenting the already funny situation. A "remarkable brain" indeed.

In case you haven't put two and two together, Mo is played by Brenda Longman, the voice of Soo. She was also in an episode of T-Bag that's on my channel (the one in which the young heroine gets bound and gagged, causing a whole bunch of perverts who are into that sort of thing to descend upon my upload of it and leave heaps of disturbing comments until I cleaned it all up and changed the thumbnail into something less dramatic - depressingly true story), though in earlier Sooty years she occasionally played a sort of bonkers Avon lady in what I think was her funniest character.

Grateful thanks to Ben for providing this recording - please take the time to check out    / benriggers   when you get the chance.

(To the best of my knowledge, the contents of this video have never been available commercially anywhere in the world. Please also note that I don't monetise any of my uploads. Nevertheless, if you are a copyright holder and have an objection, please don't hesitate to contact me.)