Chuckle Brothers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Chuckle Brothers | |
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 The Chuckle Brothers (extreme left and centre) with four fans
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Barry Elliot, Paul Elliot |
| Occupation(s) | Comedians |
| Website | www.thechucklebrothersontour.co.uk |
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".
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[edit] 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 2006, recording began on the 19th 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.
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].
[edit] 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" is set in ancient Egypt, based on the Indiana Jones movies. The great illusionists Safire will also be joining them once again, making this their sixth outing with the Chuckles. This year, they have 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 will also be touring 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. [4] In May 2008 they appeared in the BBC documentary series Comedy Map of Britain.
In June 2008 it was announced on their website that the 2009 tour will be named ChuckleTrek - The Lost Generation.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Briggs, Caroline. "Brothers mark 20 years of chuckles", BBC News, 2007-09-26. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ "Preview: The Chuckle Brothers at the Apollo, Oxford – April 19", The Oxford Times, 2001-04-18. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ Liberation Entertainment. "The Chuck Brothers Spooky Goings On Live". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
- ^ Spring Tour. The Chuckle Brothers Official UK Website. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ 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 on 2007-09-04.
