How ChuckleVision Became One Of Britain’s Most Succesful TV Shows

If you were a child from the 80s, 90s or Noughties then chances are you clapped eyes on ChuckleVision at least once, and have probably still got the theme tune stuck in your head.

The children’s TV series starred Barry, 71, and Paul Elliott, 68, as the hapless Chuckle Brothers, and ran for an incredible 292 episodes over 21 series from 1987 to 2009.

From guest stars such as Harry Hill and Debra Stephenson, and the siblings’ famous catchphrases, there was plenty to love about the classic kids’ comedy.

We’ve looked back at what made it such a success…

Copyright [David Bagnall/REX/Shutterstock]

The catchphrase
There are a numbers of aspects of ChuckleVision which help turn it into a hit show, and one that made the programme live long in the memory was certainly Paul and Barry Chuckle’s memorable catchphrases.

No matter how many times you’d heard them saying “to me, to you”, or “silly me”, “silly you”, they always garnered a laugh and their “oh dear oh dear” saying may well have been a nod to Hi-de-Hi! Spike Dixon’s (Jeffrey Holland) “oh dear, oh dear, oh dear”.

In an interview in 2010, Barry said the origins of “to me, to you”, was surprisingly simple. “You can try and think of a catchphrase but it has to come about naturally. ‘To me to you’ was always a family thing, we used to say it all the time at home, when we were moving furniture for example.”

The format
The show’s format was remarkably similar throughout it’s 22-year-run but it started out as something totally different… and insane. The duo’s first series on the Beeb in 1985 was called ‘Chuckle Hounds’. It literally saw Barry and Paul dressed up as dogs, and featured no dialogue.

Here’s a photo of the bizarre show if you don’t believe us.

Thankfully the lads ditched the dog costumes in 1987, adopting the staples that would make the show a success; the Ch-ch-ChukleVision theme tune; their quadracycle called the ChuckMobile; the recurring characters such as the never-seen Dan the Van, who employed the duo to do odd jobs.

The slapstick humour delighted kids, and even sometimes veered into surreal territory, as the pair would often end up in odd situations, such as when Barry could see an invisible leprechaun which Paul couldn’t and on another occasion they baby sat for a boy whose head they thought had come off after he left a football on his pillow.

“It’s ageless, non-offensive entertainment,” said Barry. “It’s a friendly sort of humour.”

“At first we expected we would get two or three series out of it but then after six years of it the head of children’s TV at the BBC invited us to London to have lunch and she said Chucklevision will be on the TV for as long as we want it to be,” said Paul in 2015.

The show was also awarded a Special Children’s BAFTA Award in 2008. The award, in recognition of an outstanding creative contribution, was presented by Dr Who writer Russell T. Davies, who himself wrote three episodes in the early nineties.

The OTHER Chuckle Brothers

Copyright [BBC]

Another familiar element of the ChuckleVision formula was Jimmy Elliott as No Slacking, who would be in a different guise as their boss on each occasion

Jimmy, 85, and his brother Brian Elliott, 82, who were known professionally as the Patton Brothers, were in fact both Paul and Barry’s real life brothers.

Brian also starred in the comedy at times as the villainous character Getoutofit.

The brothers are panto favourites, having starred opposite Barbara Windsor, Ronnie Corbett and John Inman down the years, and they are still going strong.

Weirdly, last year Jimmy became engaged to a fan 59 years younger than him who he met on Facebook.

Patton began courting 26-year-old Amy Philips when she commented on one of his posts.

[Copyright: Facebook]

“It just went from there. I never thought I would find this kind of love again,” said the actor, whose wife Valerie died five years previously.

Guest stars

Copyright [BBC]

While Paul and Barry became celebs themselves as the show progressed, several famous faces have also appeared on the programme.

Comedian Harry Hill starred in series 20 episode Mind Your Manors as greedy landowner Simon Chortle, and Inbetweeners actor Greg Davies appeared as Henry VII in episode Henry VII and his 5th Chuckle.

Bernie Nolan portrayed a mother who punched Barry in 1996’s Chuckles in Charge episode, and two years later Bad Girls actress Debra Stephenson rocked up as Grand Duchess Olga.

Several soap stars have also appeared in ChuckleVision early in their careers, including EastEnders’ Gillian Wright, who plays Jean Slater, and Emmerdale’s Patrick Mower (Rodney Blackstock).

Hi-de-Hi!’s Paul Shane starred in a March 1995 ep and some celebs have appeared in the comedy series as themselves, including Dave Benson Phillips, and Roy Castle.

To Me … To You

[Credit: BBC]

Several celebrity guests, including Michaela Strachan, Mr. Blobby and Dave Benson Phillips, once again, also appeared on the pair’s TV game show spin-off, which was commissioned as a result of the success of ChuckleVision.

To Me… To You… aired on the BBC for three series from 1996 to 1998 and was presented by the Chuckle Brothers and set on a desert island.

The show featured two teams of contestants who would compete in tasks, including one where they had to chuck custard pies at Paul and Barry, in a bid to win coconuts and whichever team had the most at the end of the show was declared the winner. It sounds great, but it only lasted for three series.

Back in the spotlight

While ChuckleVision came to an end in 2009, the siblings, who have starred in pantomimes for years, remained on the small screen in 2010 when they won Channel 4 reality TV show Celebrity Coach Trip.

Since then, Paul and Barry are rarely seen on TV but have returned to the spotlight at various times over the last six years, such as in 2014 when they gave evidence in favour of radio DJ Dave Lee Travis at his indecent assault court case.

In the same year, they turned their hand to rap music as they joined forces with Tinchy Stryder for 2014 charity single To Me, To You (Bruv).

Copyright [Cloud 9]

The duo are also regulars on the club circuit, making personal appearance in front off twenty-something fans.

Barry said: “We get so many nice comments when we go on tour and we even now go to nightclubs and pose for photos with so many fans of the show.

“It’s lovely doing it and we get told by so many people that we were the heroes of their childhood. It’s great to hear such words.”

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