Chuckle Brothers
The Chuckle Brothers | |
---|---|
Born | Barry Elliot 24 December 1944 , Paul Elliot 18 October 1947 Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England |
Medium | Comedians |
Nationality | British |
Notable works and roles | Chucklevision (1987-) |
Website | Official website |
The Chuckle Brothers, Barry Elliot (born 24 December 1944) and Paul Elliot (born 18 October 1947) are British comedians. They are best known for their work on children's television, their BBC show ChuckleVision having celebrated its 20th anniversary on 26 September, 2007.[1] The comedy of the Chuckle Brothers usually derives from slapstick and other visual gags, and their catchphrases include "To me, to you" and "Oh dear, oh dear".
Television
Born in Rotherham into a show business family, they began as a comedy duo and won the television talent show, New Faces in 1974.[2] Despite this they did not find real success until the advent of their own television show for the BBC in 1985, Chucklehounds, short shows with no dialogue, in which they dressed in giant dog costumes, aimed at pre-school children. 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, other real life brothers of the pair, also make regular appearances on the show, and go by the name The Patton Brothers. In 2007, recording began on the 20th straight series.
They have 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 dice 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. They can currently also be found on BT Vision, where they contribute several humorous 'health and safety' skits to an on-demand DIY Home Electrical programme, entitled Wire It![citation needed]
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!..[3]
In November - December 2007, they toured their very own 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.
Their 2008 tour, "Indiana Chuckles and The Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk" was set in ancient Egypt, based on the Indiana Jones movies. The great illusionists Safire joined them once again, making it their sixth outing with the Chuckles. They performed two brand new illusions along with a brand 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. [4] In May 2008 they appeared in the BBC documentary series Comedy Map of Britain.
A brand new show named Chuckle Trek - The Lost Generation is planned for 2009. It will be set in space and based on the Star Trek movies and television series. Jimmy and Brian. The Patton Brothers, are expected to join the show.
For Christmas 2009, The Chuckle Brothers will tour again with a pantomime called A Christmas Chuckle. It will tour like Aladdin did in 2007
Chuckle Brothers Live
- 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
- 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
- 2009: ChuckleTrek - The Lost Generation
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 original video can be seen at Youtube
Recognition
The pair have been applauded for their long run in children's entertainment. Charlie Brooker of TVGoHome has described the Chuckles as "Britain's most wizened and suspect comedy duo".[5] On 31 January 2007 Rotherham United chairman Denis Coleman announced that the brothers had both been made honorary presidents of the football club.[6]
In November 2007 Loaded magazine launched a campaign for The Chuckle Brothers to be knighted, by calling for people to write to The Queen
Biography
It was announced on the official website of the Chuckle Brothers in May 2008 that they were set to release a biography of the fantastic career of the two brothers. The official release date was not known, but the project of creating the biography had taken Paul, Barry and friend Stuart Clarkson three years to write.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland the press have dubbed former First Minister Ian Paisley and First Deputy Minister Martin McGuinness the "Chuckle Brothers" based on the British duo. McGuiness & Paisley who were once bitter enemies have been seeing "laughing it up" while serving in the North's power-sharing government.
References
- ^ Briggs, Caroline (2007-09-26). "Brothers mark 34 years of chuckles". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
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(help) - ^ "Preview: The Chuckle Brothers at the Apollo, Oxford – April 19". The Oxford Times. 2001-04-18. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
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(help) - ^ "The Chuck Brothers Spooky Goings On Live" (Press release). Liberation Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ "Spring Tour". The Chuckle Brothers Official UK Website. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
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(help) - ^ TV Go Home, Charlie Brooker, 2001 (ISBN 1-84115-675-2)
- ^ "Millers Make Two Big Signings". News. The Chuckle Brothers Official UK Website. 2007-02-07. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
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External links
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Chuckle Brothers Official Tour Website
- Metro Online regarding Pauls accident