SOOTY, a mainstay on TV for generations of children, is coming to Basingstoke to celebrate his 75th birthday.

The nation’s favourite magic yellow bear is to celebrate his 75th birthday on Wednesday, July 19.

To mark the anniversary, Sooty, Sweep and Soo and their right-hand man of 25 years Richard Cadell are back with a brand-new celebratory theatre tour across the UK: The Sooty Show - 75th Birthday Spectacular!

The show will come to The Haymarket on Thursday, October 26.

READ MORE: The Haymarket: The Signatures to come to Basingstoke

Sooty and the gang will be bringing their much-loved mix of chaos, mischief and mayhem to 42 venues from October 21 to April 12, 2024.

With Sooty’s 75th birthday being celebrated in July 2023, The Sooty Show sits in the book of Guinness World Records as the “longest-running children’s TV programme in the world”.

The legendary yellow glove puppet was bought on Blackpool North Pier in 1948 by Harry Corbett, who was looking to entertain his children whilst on their summer holiday.

Corbett began performing with the puppet on the BBC from 1952, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Basingstoke Gazette: Richard Cadell & Sooty.Richard Cadell & Sooty.

Having been on the hands of Harry’s son Matthew Corbett during the 70s/80s/90s, Sooty has now been fronted for 25 years on ITV by Richard Cadell.

Joined by his trusty sidekicks Sweep and Soo, Sooty’s appeal has continued to endure across generations of families.

With 75 amazing years in showbusiness under his belt, Sooty and his pals Sweep and Soo are planning a very special birthday party for their upcoming theatre tour.

With buckets of audience participation and gallons of giggles, this spectacular celebration will delight Sooty fans old and new, and is a must-see treat for the whole family.

There will also be a chance to meet Richard and Sooty after the show.

It’s been a very exciting few years for Sooty and the gang, not least with the opening last year of Sooty’s very own theme park, Sooty Land in Devon.

When asked about going on tour to celebrate Sooty’s 75th birthday, Sweep said “Squeak, squeak squeak, squeak squeak squeak!”

Tickets are on sale now via thesootyshow.com.