Chuckle Brothers
Encyclopedia
Barry Elliott and Paul Elliott (born 18 October 1947), better known as the Chuckle Brothers, are British
comedian
s. They are best known for their work on their BBC
show ChuckleVision
, which celebrated its 21st anniversary in March 2010 with a tour called An Audience with the Chuckle Brothers, which started in January 2010 and ended in May 2010. The comedy of the Chuckle Brothers usually derives from slapstick
and other visual gag
s, and their catchphrases include "To me, to you" and "Oh dear, oh dear".
to Amy and James Patton Elliott in 1944 and 1947. Their father was a well-known Gang Show
performer whose stage name was Gene Patton; he worked with the 18-year-old Peter Sellers
in 1943 in 'The No. 10 Gang' and gave performances in London
, Orkney, Iceland and the Hebrides, the Far East, India
and Burma. They have elder brothers called Jimmy and Brian, who are known professionally as The Patton Brothers
and who featured in The Black and White Minstrel Show
.
s Opportunity Knocks in 1967 and New Faces
in 1974. Despite this they did not find real success until the advent of their own television show for the BBC
in 1985, Chucklehounds. These were short shows aimed at pre-school children that had no dialogue
, in which they dressed in giant dog
costume
s. They quickly moved on to their most famous show, ChuckleVision
, in 1987. In 1998, ChuckleVision
was nominated for a Children’s BAFTA Award in the category Best Children's Television Series. Jimmy, and Brian Patton, the real life brothers of the pair, also make regular appearances on the show. In 2007, recording began on the 20th series. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the four brothers appeared as a quartet on TV. They are remembered for their performance in 1982 on 3-2-1
.
They also presented a game show
called To Me, To You!
, named after their catchphrase. The basic format involved two teams, competing each round for prizes on a trolley
(made to resemble a bamboo
structure to fit in with the "treasure island" theme of the show). By rolling a die
the teams had to get the trolley to their end of the board. The "squares" leading up to their end of the board often represented challenges. The rounds ended when this was achieved and new prizes were put on the trolley, which was reset to the centre. The show lasted for three series before the pair took a break from entertainment citing "exhaustion" as the main reason.
On 12 May 2007 they appeared on The Weakest Link in a "couples" special, which was repeated from December 2006. They came second to Chappers and Dave
of BBC Radio One.
On 24 April 2009 they appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show
, performing their plate-catching act.
They appeared on the Channel 4
show Come Dine With Me
on 10 February 2010, as guests of a Rotherham
resident's dinner party.
The brothers appeared in the TV series Celebrity Coach Trip during November 2010 and won the show, lasting the whole trip.
ChuckleVision is now the UKs longest running current "sitcom", since Last of the Summer Wine was cancelled in 2010.
On 07 November 2011 the pair starred in a set of TV commercials for UK based van insurance comparison website, Van Compare.
Past shows have included -
The Adventures of the Chuckle Brothers, The Chuckle Brothers in – Trouble at Sea, Raiders of the Lost Bark, Barry Potty and his Smarter Brother Paul in the Chamber of Horrors, Star Doors, Pirates of the River Rother, Doctor What & the Return of the Garlics, Spooky Goings On and Spooky Goings On 2. Live recordings of Pirates of the River Rother and Spooky Goings On 2 were released in 2007, the latter under the title The Chuckle Brothers – Spooky Goings On Live!..
In November — December 2007, they toured their Pantomime Aladdin
to many theatres up and down the UK. Barry starred as Aladdin and Paul as his brother Wishie Washee, as they did battle against the evil Abanazer. This starred the illusionists Safire
, Simon Harvey as Abanazar, Luke Jasztal as Widow Twankey, Charlotte Sullivan as So Shi and Amanda Poyner as the Princess. This pantomime also featured a group of dancers known as The Chucklettes. The choreography for the show was created by the Chuckle Brothers' niece , Debbie Baggott who runs her own dance school — Debonair Dance Academy and all of the Chucklettes are members.
Their 2008 tour, "Indiana Chuckles and The Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk" was set in ancient Egypt, based on the Indiana Jones
movies. The illusionists Safire
joined them once again, making it their sixth outing with the Chuckles. They performed two new illusions along with a new black art act up their sleeves, to fit in with the Egyptian theme. The Patton Brothers
also toured with them once again. Also, it was announced under their biography section of their website that this will also be released as a DVD, as with Pirates of the River Rother & Spooky Goings On 2, with a release date set at 22 September 2008. In May 2008 they appeared in the BBC
documentary series Comedy Map of Britain
. At Christmas 2008 the Chuckle Brothers appeared in Aladdin at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend.
A brand-new show named Chuckle Trek — The Lost Generation was staged around the country in 2009. It was set in space and based on the Star Trek
movies and television series, and also a little snippet of Doctor Who
.
For Christmas 2009, the Chuckle Brothers toured the UK with a pantomime called A Christmas Chuckle.
In 2010 the brothers toured the UK with a special 21st anniversary show, "An Audience With The Chuckle Brothers", a mix of comedy sketches and a question session from the audience. The brothers are set to tour once again in November and December 2010 with the Christmas show "The Twelve Days Of Christmas".
In 2011 the brothers toured in the UK with a new show called Barry Potter and his Full Blood Brother Paul in The Ghostly Shadows. The Patton Brothers and Safire joined them again. In Wolverhampton they stayed for two days rather than the usual single day in each venue.
The 2005 tour, Pirates of The River Rother, the 2007 tour, Spooky Goings On 2 and the 2008 tour, Indiana Chuckles and the Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk, have all been released on DVD.
A short, edited version of the 1996 tour was also released under the name of "The Chuckle Brothers In Trouble". The DVD features a rehearsal performance of the show, with no audience present. The original video can be seen on YouTube
.
The 2010 tour "An Audience With...The Chuckle Brothers", took the format of a variety show with classic sketches, audience questions, musical performances, puppetry, film clips, magic, and an audience participation version of the 'to me, to you' game show, celebrating 21 years of Chucklevision
. The only place they did not visit was the Bristol Hippodrome. The Late 2011 Christmas Panto Cinderella will only be shown in Hull.
The 1999 Tour Trouble At Sea will be having another tour in 2012, this could be the same performance or a different story. This has not been confirmed as of yet.
The 2005 Tour Pirates of River Rother will also be having another tour in 2012, under the name Pirates of River Rother 2 in stranger tights. Tour dates can be seen on the official website.
has described the Chuckles as "Britain's most wizened and suspect comedy duo", recognition has come to the brothers. On 31 January 2007 Rotherham United
chairman Denis Coleman announced that the brothers had both been made honorary presidents of the football club.
In November 2007, Loaded
magazine launched a campaign for the brothers to be knighted, by calling for people to write to The Queen. This was picked up by a group on social networking website Facebook
.
In 2008, they were honoured with the Special Award at the Children's BAFTA Awards.
The brothers have a biography due to be published, written by friend and author Stuart Clarkson (younger brother of Motoring journalist and Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson
), though no date has yet been confirmed for its release.
The brothers also support Rotherham United football club.
purporting Barry Chuckle's death from a heart attack has been in circulation since at least 2008. In 2010, the Chuckle Brothers issued a statement on their web site confirming that the story was "complete and utter rubbish". The BBC
reported that the death hoaxes had upset young viewers, and had shocked Barry Elliott when they resurfaced. The hoax was said to have spread via Facebook in 2008, but resurfaced in 2010 via Twitter.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s. They are best known for their work on their BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
show ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision is a popular British television series shown mainly on CBBC. New episodes are always first aired on BBC One, and occasionally episodes are shown on BBC Two. The first episode was shown on 26 September 1987. It follows the adventures of the Chuckle Brothers & the Patton Brothers, who...
, which celebrated its 21st anniversary in March 2010 with a tour called An Audience with the Chuckle Brothers, which started in January 2010 and ended in May 2010. The comedy of the Chuckle Brothers usually derives from slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
and other visual gag
Visual gag
In comedy, a visual gag or sight gag is anything which conveys its humor visually, often without words being used at all.There are numerous examples in cinema history of directors who based most of the humour in their films on visual gags, even to the point of using no or minimal dialogue...
s, and their catchphrases include "To me, to you" and "Oh dear, oh dear".
Early lives
The brothers were born in RotherhamRotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
to Amy and James Patton Elliott in 1944 and 1947. Their father was a well-known Gang Show
Gang Show
A Gang Show is a theatrical performance with a cast of youth members of Scouts and sometimes Guides too, by invitation. Adult leaders and parents help out behind the scenes. The aim of the shows is to give young people in Scouting and Guiding the opportunity to develop performance skills and...
performer whose stage name was Gene Patton; he worked with the 18-year-old Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
in 1943 in 'The No. 10 Gang' and gave performances in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Orkney, Iceland and the Hebrides, the Far East, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Burma. They have elder brothers called Jimmy and Brian, who are known professionally as The Patton Brothers
The Patton Brothers
The Patton Brothers, Jimmy Patton and Brian Patton, are the two elder brothers of Paul and Barry Elliot, The Chuckle Brothers. They began their career as a double act in 1954, and their father was comedian, Gene Patton....
and who featured in The Black and White Minstrel Show
The Black and White Minstrel Show
The Black and White Minstrel Show was a British light entertainment show that ran on BBC television from 1958-1978 and was a popular stage show. It was a weekly light entertainment and variety show presenting traditional American minstrel and Country songs, as well as show and music hall numbers,...
.
Television
The Chuckle Brothers won the television talent showTalent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
s Opportunity Knocks in 1967 and New Faces
New Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
in 1974. Despite this they did not find real success until the advent of their own television show for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1985, Chucklehounds. These were short shows aimed at pre-school children that had no dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
, in which they dressed in giant dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
costume
Costume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s. They quickly moved on to their most famous show, ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision is a popular British television series shown mainly on CBBC. New episodes are always first aired on BBC One, and occasionally episodes are shown on BBC Two. The first episode was shown on 26 September 1987. It follows the adventures of the Chuckle Brothers & the Patton Brothers, who...
, in 1987. In 1998, ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision is a popular British television series shown mainly on CBBC. New episodes are always first aired on BBC One, and occasionally episodes are shown on BBC Two. The first episode was shown on 26 September 1987. It follows the adventures of the Chuckle Brothers & the Patton Brothers, who...
was nominated for a Children’s BAFTA Award in the category Best Children's Television Series. Jimmy, and Brian Patton, the real life brothers of the pair, also make regular appearances on the show. In 2007, recording began on the 20th series. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the four brothers appeared as a quartet on TV. They are remembered for their performance in 1982 on 3-2-1
3-2-1
3–2–1 was a popular British game show that was made by Yorkshire Television for ITV. It ran for ten years, between 29 July 1978 and 24 December 1988. Throughout its run, the show was hosted by former Butlins Redcoat Ted Rogers. It was based on a Spanish gameshow called Un, dos, tres.....
.
They also presented a game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
called To Me, To You!
To Me, To You!
To Me... To You... is a Children's game show presented by Paul and Barry Elliott, better known as the Chuckle Brothers During their hit TV show ChuckleVision. It ran for 3 series including 2 Christmas specials, from 21 June 1996 to 25 December 1998, and was shown on BBC1.The show was set on a...
, named after their catchphrase. The basic format involved two teams, competing each round for prizes on a trolley
Shopping cart
A shopping cart is a cart supplied by a shop, especially supermarkets, for use by customers inside the shop for transport of merchandise to the check-out counter during shopping...
(made to resemble a bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
structure to fit in with the "treasure island" theme of the show). By rolling a die
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
the teams had to get the trolley to their end of the board. The "squares" leading up to their end of the board often represented challenges. The rounds ended when this was achieved and new prizes were put on the trolley, which was reset to the centre. The show lasted for three series before the pair took a break from entertainment citing "exhaustion" as the main reason.
On 12 May 2007 they appeared on The Weakest Link in a "couples" special, which was repeated from December 2006. They came second to Chappers and Dave
Chappers and Dave
Chappers and Dave was the name of an irregular BBC Radio 1 show presented by Mark Chapman and Dave Vitty. The show was usually only heard on air together when covering for other DJs at weekends...
of BBC Radio One.
On 24 April 2009 they appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
, performing their plate-catching act.
They appeared on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
show Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
on 10 February 2010, as guests of a Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
resident's dinner party.
The brothers appeared in the TV series Celebrity Coach Trip during November 2010 and won the show, lasting the whole trip.
ChuckleVision is now the UKs longest running current "sitcom", since Last of the Summer Wine was cancelled in 2010.
On 07 November 2011 the pair starred in a set of TV commercials for UK based van insurance comparison website, Van Compare.
Stage
As well as regular television appearances, Paul and Barry appear on stage throughout the year all over the UK.Past shows have included -
The Adventures of the Chuckle Brothers, The Chuckle Brothers in – Trouble at Sea, Raiders of the Lost Bark, Barry Potty and his Smarter Brother Paul in the Chamber of Horrors, Star Doors, Pirates of the River Rother, Doctor What & the Return of the Garlics, Spooky Goings On and Spooky Goings On 2. Live recordings of Pirates of the River Rother and Spooky Goings On 2 were released in 2007, the latter under the title The Chuckle Brothers – Spooky Goings On Live!..
In November — December 2007, they toured their Pantomime Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
to many theatres up and down the UK. Barry starred as Aladdin and Paul as his brother Wishie Washee, as they did battle against the evil Abanazer. This starred the illusionists Safire
Safire (illusionists)
Safire are an award winning illusion act based in the UK, hailing from Wales. The act comprises husband and wife team Stuart and Jayne Loughland...
, Simon Harvey as Abanazar, Luke Jasztal as Widow Twankey, Charlotte Sullivan as So Shi and Amanda Poyner as the Princess. This pantomime also featured a group of dancers known as The Chucklettes. The choreography for the show was created by the Chuckle Brothers' niece , Debbie Baggott who runs her own dance school — Debonair Dance Academy and all of the Chucklettes are members.
Their 2008 tour, "Indiana Chuckles and The Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk" was set in ancient Egypt, based on the Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones franchise
The Indiana Jones franchise is an entertainment franchise, based on the historical fantasy adventures of Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, a fictional archaeologist. It began in 1981 with the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. A prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, followed in 1984 and the sequel...
movies. The illusionists Safire
Safire (illusionists)
Safire are an award winning illusion act based in the UK, hailing from Wales. The act comprises husband and wife team Stuart and Jayne Loughland...
joined them once again, making it their sixth outing with the Chuckles. They performed two new illusions along with a new black art act up their sleeves, to fit in with the Egyptian theme. The Patton Brothers
The Patton Brothers
The Patton Brothers, Jimmy Patton and Brian Patton, are the two elder brothers of Paul and Barry Elliot, The Chuckle Brothers. They began their career as a double act in 1954, and their father was comedian, Gene Patton....
also toured with them once again. Also, it was announced under their biography section of their website that this will also be released as a DVD, as with Pirates of the River Rother & Spooky Goings On 2, with a release date set at 22 September 2008. In May 2008 they appeared in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary series Comedy Map of Britain
Comedy Map of Britain
Comedy Map of Britain is a BBC documentary series which visits the places that have inspired many of Britain's leading comedians. It first aired on BBC Two in 2007 and 2008....
. At Christmas 2008 the Chuckle Brothers appeared in Aladdin at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend.
A brand-new show named Chuckle Trek — The Lost Generation was staged around the country in 2009. It was set in space and based on the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
movies and television series, and also a little snippet of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
For Christmas 2009, the Chuckle Brothers toured the UK with a pantomime called A Christmas Chuckle.
In 2010 the brothers toured the UK with a special 21st anniversary show, "An Audience With The Chuckle Brothers", a mix of comedy sketches and a question session from the audience. The brothers are set to tour once again in November and December 2010 with the Christmas show "The Twelve Days Of Christmas".
In 2011 the brothers toured in the UK with a new show called Barry Potter and his Full Blood Brother Paul in The Ghostly Shadows. The Patton Brothers and Safire joined them again. In Wolverhampton they stayed for two days rather than the usual single day in each venue.
Chuckle Brothers Live
- 1974: Chuckle Brothers: Live
- 1983: The Freddie Starr Live Showcase
- 1995: To You, To Me
- 1996: Live and in Trouble
- 1997: The Chuckle Brothers Summer Roadshow
- 1998: The Adventures of the Chuckle Brothers
- 1999: Trouble At Sea (first tour, possibly second in 2012)
- 2000: The New Adventures of the Chuckle Brothers
- 2001: Spooky Goings On
- 2002: Raiders of the Lost Bark
- 2003: Star Doors — The Chuckles Strike Back
- 2004: Barry Potty and his Smarter Brother Paul in The Chamber of Horrors
- 2005: Pirates of the River Rother
- 2006: Doctor What and The Return of the Garlics
- 2007: Spooky Goings On 2
- 2008: Indiana Chuckles and The Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk
- 2008: Aladdin (Xmas panto)
- 2009: Chuckle Trek — The Lost Generation
- 2009: A Christmas Chuckle (Late 2009 Christmas special performances)
- 2010: An Audience With...The Chuckle Brothers
- 2010: The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Late 2010 Christmas special performances)
- 2011: Barry Potty And His Full Blood Brother Paul in The Ghostly Shadows
- 2011: Cinderella (late 2011 Christmas special) (Hull only)
- 2012: Pirates Of River Rother 2: In Stranger Tights http://thechucklebrothersontour.co.uk/news/ (all venues except Bristol)
- 2012-2013: Barry Potty And His Scar Loved Brother Paul in The Cup of Waters (unconfirmed)
- 2013?: Batman and Robin (unconfirmed)
The 2005 tour, Pirates of The River Rother, the 2007 tour, Spooky Goings On 2 and the 2008 tour, Indiana Chuckles and the Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk, have all been released on DVD.
A short, edited version of the 1996 tour was also released under the name of "The Chuckle Brothers In Trouble". The DVD features a rehearsal performance of the show, with no audience present. The original video can be seen on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
The 2010 tour "An Audience With...The Chuckle Brothers", took the format of a variety show with classic sketches, audience questions, musical performances, puppetry, film clips, magic, and an audience participation version of the 'to me, to you' game show, celebrating 21 years of Chucklevision
ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision is a popular British television series shown mainly on CBBC. New episodes are always first aired on BBC One, and occasionally episodes are shown on BBC Two. The first episode was shown on 26 September 1987. It follows the adventures of the Chuckle Brothers & the Patton Brothers, who...
. The only place they did not visit was the Bristol Hippodrome. The Late 2011 Christmas Panto Cinderella will only be shown in Hull.
The 1999 Tour Trouble At Sea will be having another tour in 2012, this could be the same performance or a different story. This has not been confirmed as of yet.
The 2005 Tour Pirates of River Rother will also be having another tour in 2012, under the name Pirates of River Rother 2 in stranger tights. Tour dates can be seen on the official website.
Recognition
Although TVGoHomeTVGoHome
TVGoHome was a website which parodied the television listings style of the British magazine Radio Times. It was produced fortnightly from 1999 to 2001, and sporadically until 2003, by Charlie Brooker. The site now exists only in archive form...
has described the Chuckles as "Britain's most wizened and suspect comedy duo", recognition has come to the brothers. On 31 January 2007 Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
chairman Denis Coleman announced that the brothers had both been made honorary presidents of the football club.
In November 2007, Loaded
Loaded
Loaded may refer to:In music:* Loaded * Loaded * Loaded * "Loaded" * "Loaded" * "Loaded"...
magazine launched a campaign for the brothers to be knighted, by calling for people to write to The Queen. This was picked up by a group on social networking website Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
.
In 2008, they were honoured with the Special Award at the Children's BAFTA Awards.
Personal life
In April 2007, while on holiday on the Greek island of Kefalonia, Paul broke his nose and received cuts and bruises when he lost control of his motorbike after suddenly braking to avoid a shepherd and his flock of goats. Tourists who stopped at the accident, instead of helping him out, shouted out the Chuckle Brothers' catchphrase: "To me, to you."The brothers have a biography due to be published, written by friend and author Stuart Clarkson (younger brother of Motoring journalist and Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
), though no date has yet been confirmed for its release.
The brothers also support Rotherham United football club.
Death hoax
An urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
purporting Barry Chuckle's death from a heart attack has been in circulation since at least 2008. In 2010, the Chuckle Brothers issued a statement on their web site confirming that the story was "complete and utter rubbish". The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that the death hoaxes had upset young viewers, and had shocked Barry Elliott when they resurfaced. The hoax was said to have spread via Facebook in 2008, but resurfaced in 2010 via Twitter.