Barry Chuckle remembered

Paul Elliott, co-star of Chucklevision with Barry reflected on two years since his older brother passed away aged 73.

The Chuckle Brothers on ATV’s New Faces.

It’s been two years since Barry Elliott – one half of iconic British children performers, The Chuckle Brothers – sadly passed away. His younger brother Paul Elliott spoke to ITV’s This Morning earlier to reflect the 24 months since his loss.

Joining hosts Eamonn Holmes OBE and Ruth Langsford live from his home in Greece on video link Paul said he hasn’t stopped missing Barry, noting ‘it’s like your right arm being cut off’.

Barry Elliott – was best known for his double act with younger brother Paul with whom he won ITV talent show Opportunity Knocks in 1967. The Rotherham-born pair continued their success on ATV’s New Faces in 1974.

Shortly before his death Barry and Paul had seen new success on TV with Channel 5’s Chuckle Time.

The late 1970s and early 80s saw the Chuckle brothers pop up on many light-entertainment shows of the time including The Lennie and Jerry Show for the BBC and ITV gameshow 3-2-1, but it was for their long-running children’s BBC series that they became best known. The BBC first brought the duo to younger audiences in 1985 with three episodes of Chuckle Hounds. Aimed at a pre-school audience, it saw the pair dressed up in giant dog costumes.

ChuckleVision followed in 1987 and became one of the Beeb’s most enduring children’s television programmes, lasting 22 years and 292 episodes.

“It’s like your right arm being cut off, I still miss him today. The physical pain you get when you lose someone close to you… it is a physical pain and it goes away over the years, but you never stop missing them… There were originally six of us [siblings]… and now there’s just Brian and myself left… Just a year after Barry died, Jimmy died.” – Paul Elliott

And on how he’s coping now, Paul revealed: “You get away from it all out here [in Greece]. My villa is up on a hill and so you’re completely isolated from anyone.

“I’ve not worked for a long time, but everytime I work I always feel that he’s [Barry’s] there with me. It’s a nice feeling that he’s there helping me all the way along. It’s great.”

Biggest hit… the Beeb’s Chucklevision.

On dreaming about his brother Barry: “He’s always been there in the dreams with me as well, which I think is his way of telling me there is an afterlife which he didn’t believe in.”

Paul then spoke about how Barry did not tell him he was ill before he passed: “He loved working, he loved making people laugh and he knew that if I would’ve found out, I would have made him, and his manager, go and get it sorted, go into hospital. That’s something else he never liked, he never liked hospitals or going to see the doctor. That’s how he was.”

In October 2018 Paul made a memorable appearance in BBC One daytime soap Doctors as a saucy OAP who had two women on the go at once – both played by former Hi-De-Hi stars Ruth Madoc and Su Pollard. And on the future, Paul laughed:

“I do nightclub spots, meet and greets which always feels terribly grown up.” – Paul Elliott

The ‘Chuckle Brothers’ make a cameo appearance in ITV sunnycom Benidorm.

This Morning weekdays from 10am on ITV, STV and UTV.