1 9 8 7 – 2 0 0 9 (UK)
293 x 20 minute episodes
“To me . . . to you . . .”
This long-running BBC children’s TV series featured the Chuckle Brothers – Barry and Paul Chuckle (real-life brothers from Rotherham in South Yorkshire whose surname was actually Elliott.)
Episodes revolved around their antics as they got into various scrapes, such as running a pizza delivery service, delivering a water bed, babysitting, working as hospital porters or getting shipwrecked on a desert island.
The brothers’ main mode of transportation was The Chuckmobile – a quadricycle with a red-and-white striped roof.
Barry and Paul’s older brothers also appeared occasionally on Chucklevision – Jimmy as the character known as ‘No Slacking’ and Brian as a character known as ‘Getoutofit’.
The puns were well-written and the slapstick was executed with the precision of a modern-day Laurel and Hardy, which proved popular with children and adults alike.
Guests on the show included Nerys Hughes, Roy Castle, Paul Shane, Patrick Mower and Harry Hill.
Launched in 1987 there were 21 series in all and the show ran until 2009.
Barry Elliott died on 5 August 2018 after a period of ill health. He was 73.
Paul Chuckle
Paul Elliott
Barry Chuckle
Barry Elliott