Lord of the Dance
'Humble legend' – Tributes pour in after Barry Chuckle, of TV’s the Chuckle Brothers, passes away aged 73
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'Humble legend' – Tributes pour in after Barry Chuckle, of TV’s the Chuckle Brothers, passes away aged 73

TRIBUTES have been paid to Barry Chuckle, one half of TV and stage comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers, after he died at the age of 73.

Barry Chuckle, real name Barry Elliot, passed away at home surrounded by his wife Ann and all his family, according to manager Phil Dale.

Barry and Paul Chuckle (Image: By Granny_Margaret via Wikipedia is licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0)

“The family would like to express their thanks to the many people who have been fans of the Chuckle Brothers and they know that they will share in part the great, great loss they feel,” said Dale.

Barry’s comedy partner and real-life brother Paul, 70, added: “I’ve lost my theatrical partner, brother & very best friend! God Bless Barry, he leaves 50 years of laughter & his legacy of laughter will live on!”

The duo, from Rotherham in Yorkshire, won TV talent contests Opportunity Knocks in 1967 and New Faces in 1974 and had guest spots on various TV shows over the ensuing years.

However they made a name for themselves with ChuckleVision, the BBC children’s show that ran for 292 episodes from 1987 to 2009.

Known for its slapstick humour, the series followed the bumbling handymen characters on their misadventures and introduced their ‘To Me, To You’ catchphrase.

In 2008 they received a special award at the Children’s Baftas.

In June they appeared on Chuckle Time, a comedy clip show on Channel 5.

Rapper Tinchy Stryder, with whom the Chuckle Brothers recorded a charity single in aid of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust in 2014, was among those paying tribute to Barry, dubbing him a ‘humble legend’.