The death of ventriloquist Keith Harris has left the nation reminiscing about Orville the duck’s singing and Cuddles the monkey’s jokes.

The sad news that variety veteran Keith has passed away at the age of 67 also made us nostalgic about our other favourite TV puppets.

They livened up broom cupboards and children’s telly throughout the decades, and some even found fame in the UK singles charts.

From Sooty to Edd the Duck, we remember our top 10.

1. Sooty

Richard Cadell and Sooty (Richard Cadell/PA)
Richard Cadell and Sooty (Richard Cadell/PA)

Created by Harry Corbett, silent Sooty has been an institution on British television since 1952, making his small-screen debut on BBC’s The Sooty Show in 1955.

Now operated by Richard Cadell, who bought the rights to the puppet in 2007, Sooty and his friends Sweep and Soo continue to entertain children through their CITV show, Sooty. There are even rumours that Sooty could be headed for the big screen in 2016.

2. Gordon the Gopher

Gordon the Gopher (BBC/PA)
Gordon the Gopher (BBC/PA)

Gordon, puppeted by Paul Smith, first appeared on Children’s BBC (CBBC) between 1985 and 1987, presenting television shows with Phillip Schofield in The Broom Cupboard, Going Live! and his own 1991 spin-off.

While Phillip has tried to consign him to the past, Gordon has refused to be forgotten, popping up alongside his mate in editions of Dancing On Ice in 2009 and 2012. He also appeared on This Morning in September 2010 to celebrate Phillip’s 25th anniversary of his first CBBC presenting job.

3. Edd the Duck

A yellow duck with green hair doesn’t exactly spell success, but Edd – performed by Christina Mackay-Robinson – turned out to be a hit. Adorning lunch boxes, posters, milkshakes and even starring in his own computer game, Edd joined presenters Andy Crane and Andi Peters in The Broom Cupboard in 1988, replacing Phillip Schofield and Gordon the Gopher.

4. Andy Pandy

(Bonhams/PA)
(Bonhams/PA)

Andy Pandy, a marionette who lived in a picnic basket, is the original puppet, premiering on the BBC in 1950 as part of the For The Children section, later known as Watch With Mother.

Created by Freda Lingstrom, Andy Pandy and friends starred in the black and white series until 1970, and have been given a makeover for a new series, which aired on the BBC from 2002 to 2009.

5. Basil Brush

(BBC/PA)
(BBC/PA)

Wily fox Basil Brush has been a mainstay on British telly for over 50 years, having made his debut in 1962. Voiced and performed by Ivan Owen until his death in October 2000, Basil – famous for his catchphrase “Ha Ha Ha! Boom! Boom!” – first appeared on television in 1962, in a series called The Three Scampis before getting his own BBC television series, The Basil Brush Show, which ran for 12 years from 1968 until 1980.

He made his comeback in the revived programme, which ran in 2002 until 2007. In 2015, he had a 21st century makeover with a YouTube channel.

6. Bill and Ben

(Johnny Green/PA)
(Johnny Green/PA)

Bill and Ben, the Flowerpot Men, first appeared on BBC’s Watch With Mother. They spoke Oddle Poddle, which was invented by Peter Hawkins, who was also the voice of the Daleks in BBC’s sci-fi drama Doctor Who. They then Flobbadobbed throughout the next three decades, with their own show Bill And Ben airing on CBBC in 2001.

7. Emu

(PA)
(PA)

Rod Hull was the man behind Emu, who caused chaos and struck terror into stars like Michael Parkinson, Billy Connolly, Richard Pryor and The Tonight Show’s Johnny Carson. Emu even ruined the Queen Mother’s bouquet of flowers after the Royal Variety Performance in 1972. Sadly, Emu was retired after Rod died in 1999.

8. Otis the Aardvark

Dave Chapman was the puppeteer behind Otis the Aardvark, who was a presenter on Children’s BBC shows Fully Booked and Saturday Aardvark. He presented Nickelodeon on his own in 1996 to 1997, and later took part in a “puppet” edition of The Weakest Link in December 2007. His most recent appearance was on ITV2′s Celebrity Juice in April 2010.

9. Roland Rat

Rapping rodent Roland Rat, created, operated and voiced by David Claridge, made his TV debut on TV-am in 1983 before transferring to the BBC in 1985. He starred in Channel 5 series LA Rat in the late 1990s, featuring the rat and his friends touring Los Angeles, and made a brief return in early 2003 as a guest presenter of CiTV.

10. Zig and Zag

Zig and Zag with Melinda Messenger (David Parry/PA)
Zig and Zag with Melinda Messenger (David Parry/PA)

The puppets, created by Ciaran Morrison and Mick O’Hara, made their name on Dempsey’s Den before heading to Channel 4′s Big Breakfast, where they met stars such as Robin Williams, Michael J Fox and Ant and Dec. They released a single in 1995 after being signed by Simon Cowell and will return in animated form for the new show, Zig And Zag, in 2016.