Brean Leisure Park is the main location for Sooty (2011), It is located in Somerset and was owned by Sooty’s host, Richard Cadell and his brother David until 2014, when they sold it.
The new owner has since renamed it Brean Theme Park.
History
The park and its accompanying caravan site is based at Unity Farm which was bought by the House Family in 1946 just after the second world war, allowing campers onto the farm land. In the 1970s a golf course was added, which was followed by a swimming pool complex, bars and a bowling alley in the 1990s. The rides and concessions have also been growing gradually since the 1970s and the site attracts over 500,000 people every year.
Sooty in Fun City
Sooty's TV Studio at Fun City (opened in 2012)
In 2008 it became the home of Sooty, Sweep andSoo, when Richard Cadell brought the rights from Hit Entertainment.
In 2012, Sooty’s TV Studio was opened which is mainly a museum exhibiting stuff like Sooty scale sets, props and puppets used in the series and a vast selection of Sooty memorabilia dating back to over 60 years ago. The campervan is also on display. With a similar function set out by the famous "Build-A-Bear" workshops, people can also "Build-A-Sooty" by making their own plush toy of Sooty, Sweep or Soo. There is also the Sooty Show arcade machine which allows youngsters to listen to a song and receive a prize. During school holidays, you can get the opportunity of meeting Richard and the real Sooty on selected dates. At other times everyday at 3 o’clock, there are Meet & Greet sessions with a full scale Sooty and Sweep.
Richard sold the park in 2014, as his brother moved to Austarlia, but the Sooty theme will stay with the park, if not expand.
Trivia
- In the series, Sooty, Sweep, Soo and Richard live at the caravan site known as Holiday Resort Unity.
- Unity Farm featured as Cheggers Farm in The Farm and as Sandfords Farm in Easter Time.
- The park’s golf course featured in Chocco Chimp. Sooty also went there to film and the train sequence in The Silent Movie.
- Brean Splash featured in The Swimming Lesson and The New Poster.
- GO-KARTS was used for The Great Race.
- Terror Castle is The New Ride. It was also used to film a sequence in "The Silent Movie".
- Astro Storm was the location for the first scene in Sooty's Space Rocket.
- When the production crew film the episodes of Sooty during the holiday season since there are more holiday makers to appear as extras, they often do not reveal the comedy sequence they are about to act out, so that the extras' reactions are as genuine as possible. Because of this they often have to try and do the sequence all in one take.
- Richard Cadell stated in an interview that they are buying an outdoor theatre and a live Sooty show will be presented daily, but Richard won't present them as he'll be on the 2014 live tour.
Gallery
