By IRMA HEGER IT was a world exclusive when Sophie Gears and Suhad Iqbal went to have an in-depth chat with Sooty and Sweep - the two kids' favourites had never given an interview before in their lives!

As a result, the eight-year-old Bolton Parish School pupils hadn't been able to sleep for a week - but finally the day came when they came eyeball to eyeball with their heroes.

The meeting was at Granada Studios in Manchester, in the brand new Sooty Towers theatre which was opened yesterday.

It boasts the only live 30 minute show featuring all the Sooty cast in the UK, run in conjunction with a new TV series, Sooty Heights, which is the name of the hotel which he owns.

From August, viewers will be able to see the yellow bear and friends at this hotel, which includes the laundry as shown at Granada.

This was all well and good - but when we arrived Sooty and Sweep were nowhere to be seen.

Only after lots of knocking on the table by Suhad and Sophie, the two came out, giggling and laughing, and questioning could begin.

"What's your favourite drink?" Suhad fired away.

"Anything fizzy - with lots of bubbles," Sooty told his friend from Granada Studios, Sam.

"Milk!" Sweep barked in minder Aaron's ear.

Suhad then wanted to know more about Sooty and Sweep's families.

Sooty, it turned out, only has one cousin, called Scampi.

But Sweep said: "I've got millions, and get on with them really well."

"He's showing off," said Aaron.

"He likes being on TV."

"It makes me famous!" the grey dog boasted to Aaron, who revealed: "He's quite vain."

Thankfully, Sweep didn't have his water pistol with him, otherwise Aaron would have been drenched by this time.

"You're a bit of a silly billy, aren't you Sweep?" Aaron teased. This made Sweep disappear under the table, causing Aaron to cry: "Leave that bone alone!"

Girlfriends were the next subject.

Elle McPhearson is Sooty's fantasy girl and Su his real one, but Sweep had no-one in mind.

Then Sophie made a big mistake.

"Do you like being a puppet?" she asked Sooty.

Sam jumped up: "She said the 'P' Word!" she cried, covering Sooty's ears.

"I think they have sussed you," she whispered in his yellow ear.

But Sooty's didn't give in.

"I'm not a puppet, I'm a real bear," he insisted.

Sweep's answer to Sophie's controversial question was simply: "No comment", Aaron said.

"Do you like being a bear?" Suhad tried.

"Sweep doesn't, because he's a dog," joked Aaron.

Sophie moved swiftly on.

"Where do you live?" she asked.

Sooty whispered in Sam's ear.

"No Sooty, you don't live with me," she turned to him.

"He lives in a house of his own," she told Sophie and Suhad.

And Aaron said Sweep told him he lives in "a luxury kennel with a swimming pool in Castlefield".

Thoughts then turned to favourite food.

"Cake!" was Sooty's reply.

While choosy Sweep said: "Pedigree Chum."

Suhad questioned them on favourite colours (Sooty: purple, Sweep: grey) before wanting to know if the pair likes dancing.

Sooty immediately started to boogie along the table, with Sam saying: "Look, he's rocking away!"

Sweep - doggy hips gyrating - told Aaron that he reminded himself a lot of "John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever".

Other pastimes turned out to include fishing (Sweep) and camping out (Sooty).

When Suhad mentioned the words "cats" Sweep grew very excited and dived under the table in search for the "C word", as Aaron put it.

"Does Sweep ever eat cats?" Suhad then ventured.

"We don't disclose that to the press," Aaron replied.

On a roll, now, Suhad kept the questions coming.

"Do you like jokes?"

Sooty has fits of giggles in response to that question, but Sam said he isn't actually very good at telling them.

"He's not very good at the punch lines," she whispered.

"Do you know any?" she then asked Suhad.

Of course Suhad knew a joke. "What do you call two robbers? A pair of knickers."

Sooty and Sweep both thought this was hilarious and were shaking with laughter.

"Who started the show?" was the last question.

"Harry Corbett, 51 years ago, Matthew's dad," Sam said.

On that note, the interview ended and posing for photographs began.

"Make sure Sweep doesn't try to kiss you, Sophie," Sam shouted - too late.

But true professionals they are, the furry friends and roving reporters all just looked in the camera and smiled as if nothing had ever happened . . .

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