Blog / Theatres & Shows A Magical Time at the Sooty Show at the Blackpool Grand! 19 February 2019 by Visit Blackpool Being a huge Sooty fan myself I wasn’t sure who was more excited to see Richard Cadell and friends, myself or my two-year-old daughter! Being from Blackpool, I've grown up with Sooty, and was keen to introduce my daughter to the little yellow bear who was born on North Pier and has entertained millions of children since the fifties. Needless to say, I built the excitement in the days leading up to the show and on the way to the theatre I was bombarded with constant questioning of: "Where’s Sooty, where’s Sooty?!" The show did not disappoint. Richard Cadell's energy and enthusiasm is infectious and his love for the little yellow bear and what he does is clearly evident. The slapstick routines had my daughter in fits of giggles away and there were plenty of gags to satisfy the adults (of which there were many in the audience without children). Throughout the performance, Richard had the audience screaming the classic Sooty catchphrases back at him and worked the old school pantomime rhetoric perfectly, even the classic tiny (and surprising powerful) water pistol made an appearance, much to the children’s delight. Richard worked the transition between sketches perfectly, switching from full stage sets to one on one interactions with Sooty. At one point Sooty got stuck on stage driving his car and there was the odd occasion when a couple of puppets were on stage. When props were dropped there was the classic banter that makes the one handed retrieval of such objects very difficult, but such was Richard's showmanship that I was unsure if this was done on purpose for the amusement of the audience. The theme of magic was of course perfect for a Sooty show and the chemistry of Sooty, Sweep, Soo was great during these moments. The guest magician's tricks were aimed at a slightly older children than mine but still nevertheless entertaining. Countless time throughout the afternoon we joined in screaming ‘Izzy, Wizzy, lets get busy!’ The show is a timeless classic puppet show that has a winning formula. The humour is perfect for a young audience and Richard Cadell knows exactly what children like to see. He even stayed behind long after the performance had finished so that everyone who wanted to meet Sooty had the opportunity to do so. After watching the show it is clear why Sooty remains a favourite in so many people’s hearts and I am sure that he will remain that way for many years to come.