Matthew Corbett

Biography

Matthew Corbett, is an English television personality, writer and puppeteer, best known for presenting The Sooty Show and later Sooty and Co. Matthew was born in Guiseley, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 28 March 1948. In the late 1960s, he had to choose another stage name, as there was already another Peter Corbett registered at drama school. He kept his surname, and chose the name of Matthew; for television purposes he has remained as Matthew Corbett.

He appeared in the 1971 Doctor Who serial The Dæmons as a character called Jones and was a regular performer in the Thames Television children's show Rainbow, where he sang and performed and wrote with Rod Burton and Jane Tucker as Rod, Matt and Jane, later on known as Rod, Jane and Roger and finally being better known as Rod, Jane and Freddy.

In 1976 Matthew left Rainbow to take over The Sooty Show from his father, Harry Corbett, on his retirement (he made a special guest appearance on Rainbow with Sooty in the episode "The VIP"). Matthew Corbett retired in 1998 after 22 years, and chose Richard Cadell to replace him. Corbett appears in This Is Your Life, Telly Addicts and Light Lunch