One half of Chuckle Brothers act has died
VETERAN children’s entertainer Barry Elliott, one half of comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers, has died at the age of 73.
Elliott was best known for appearing alongside real-life younger brother Paul in BBC comedy show ChuckleVision which ran for 21 series from 1987 to 2009.
Elliott was born in Rotherham in Yorkshire on Christmas Eve 1944 to Amy and James Patton Elliott. His father performed in variety shows under the name Gene Patton and worked with a young Peter Sellers.
Elliott had two older brothers, Jimmy and Brian, who had a double act called The Patton Brothers. His elder siblings would go on to make regular appearances on ChuckleVision with him.
Paul and Barry first started out with impromptu performances for friends and family in their back yard.
Their slapstick act made its television debut when they won talent show Opportunity Knocks in 1967. They later had success on New Faces.
They made further TV appearances on light entertainment programme The Good Old Days, game show 3-2-1, and with comedian Freddie Starr in The Freddie Starr Showcase.
Elliott and his brother were renowned children’s TV entertainers. In 1985 their BBC mime show Chuckle Hounds was launched. The pair wore giant dog costumes for the series, aimed at pre-school children.
Two years later ChuckleVision began its run of 292 episodes on BBC1. The show saw the brothers get into various surreal scrapes, often while taking on a new job.
The programme was known for its visual gags and spawned catchphrases such as “To me, to you”, “Oh dear, oh dear” and “No slacking”, which was usually said by Elliott’s brother Jimmy when he was on the programme. Barry and Paul also presented a desert island-themed CBBC game show called To Me, To You between 1996 and 1998.
In 2008 they were awarded a special Bafta award for their contribution to children’s television.
Elliott and his comedy partner also toured the UK for decades in pantomimes and stage shows.
Elliott and his brother were lifelong supporters of Rotherham United. They were made honorary presidents by the club in 2007.
In April 2018 it was announced that Elliott and his brother would make a TV comeback on Chuckle Time.
The Channel 5 clip show saw the brothers perform comedy sketches and introduce humorous online videos from members of the public.
Elliott’s manager said the star had felt that working on the new show was like a return to the “wonderful” days of ChuckleVision.
Elliott died at home surrounded by his family, including his wife Ann.