I don't know who Sooty is, but I wouldn't like being that close to people.
Edit: I just looked up Sweep on Wikipedia.
Quote:
Probably his most unusual characteristic is his method of communication. It consists of a loud high pitched squeak that gains its inflection from normal speech and its rhythm from the syllables in each word. The rest of the cast could understand Sweep perfectly, and would indirectly translate for the viewer.
I don't think that'd work with my monotone voice.
Maybe the translator would be nice.