… She’s back!

Though I spends me time in the ashes and smoke
In this ‘ole wide world there’s no ‘appier bloke
Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee!

Well, there’s a lot of excitement at the prospect of Mary Poppins Returns being released in cinemas on December 19 – some 54 years after the original film! Dick Van Dyke, now aged 92, stars again in the sequel as Mr Dawes Jr (having portrayed Mr Dawes Sr in the first film).
Of course, it is Bert the chimney sweep that Mr Van Dyke is most remembered for. Dancing on the rooftops, whirling his chimney brush and singing with gusto – Bert has become something of a cheerful symbol for sweeps. The public, even where James the Sweep works in Tunbridge Wells and nearby Kent outside of London, often conjure up the image of energetic Bert when they consider the imaginary notion of a chimney sweep.
Alas, Bert won’t be reappearing in Mary Poppins Returns. Street lamplighter Jack (played by Lin-Manuel Miranda) takes on the role of cheeky chap and romantic companion to Emily Blunt’s Mary Poppins. ‘Trip A Little Light Fantastic’ looks set to be the equivalent of ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’ with Jack and other leeries (streetlamp lighters) doing a dance and song, which will definitely evoke memories of Bert and his fellow sweeps dancing and singing ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’ in the original movie.

James the Sweep enjoys the romantic myth of chimney sweeping, which extends to other literary forms not just Ol’ Bert created by PL Travers in Mary Poppins. It has its origins of course in the Victorian era, when the plight of child sweeps slowly gained public attention. Sweeps were seen as something mysterious, belonging to another world. Even so, despite all the fun dancing and singing, chimney sweeping is a serious business that saves lives from the deadly risks of carbon monoxide poisoning. James the Sweep, although he always has a smile on his face, takes that professional challenge very seriously indeed.
_
I choose me bristles with pride
Yes, I do
A broom for the shaft and a brush for the flume
Up where the smoke is all billered and curled
‘Tween pavement and stars is the chimney sweep world