Barry Elliott
Barry Elliott, known professionally as Barry Chuckle, was a British comedian and entertainer born on December 24, 1944. Following a brief illness, he passed away on August 5, 2018, having reached the age of 73. His family hailed from northern England and had a history in entertainment; his father, James Patton Elliott, performed as Gene Patton and even worked with Peter Sellers in 1943. Elliott began his career alongside his younger brother Paul Harman Elliott, forming the comedy double act The Chuckle Brothers. They initially performed in their backyard for friends and family before gaining wider recognition. Their early appearances included winning Opportunity Knocks in 1967 and New Faces in 1974. In 1966, they gained experience and crafted their distinctive comedic style—characterized by slapstick, visual humor, and clever wordplay, frequently featuring memorable phrases such as 'To me, to you!' and 'Oh dear, oh dear!'—while employed as Butlins Redcoats. The comedy duo first appeared on television screens in April 1979 as stars of the BBC program, *Lennie and Jerry*. The Chuckle Brothers achieved significant success with their iconic children's show, ChuckleVision, which aired from 1987 to 2009 for 21 seasons and 292 episodes. The show featured them attempting new tasks each episode with slapstick humor. They also appeared in other television shows such as 3-2-1, The Good Old Days, and The Freddie Starr Showcase. In 1985, they launched the pre-school programme The ChuckleHounds. In 2008, the British Academy Children's Awards honored their significant impact on children's programming with a Special Award for Lifetime Achievement. Barry also appeared in Still Open All Hours from 2013 to 2014 and starred in a short film, 'The Funniest Man In The World', about Joseph Grimaldi. They recently filmed a new show called 'Chuckle Time' for Channel 5, which began airing in June 2018 but was cut short due to Barry’s death. His manager, Phil Dale, described his legacy as '50 years of laughter'.
