To MBE, to you: Honour a ‘wonderful shock’ for Chuckle Brother Paul Elliott
Paul Elliott, known as one half of the Chuckle Brothers, has said finding out he is being made an MBE in the New Year Honours list is “probably the best shock” of his life.
The comedy double act, made up of Paul and his brother Barry, were a staple in British homes with their TV show ChuckleVision.
Nearly 300 episodes, which aired during the 1990s and 2000s, showed the hapless, accident-prone brothers muttering “To me, to you” as they caused chaos everywhere they went.
But since Barry’s death from bone cancer aged 73 in 2018, his brother has been anything but hapless.
He has been a prominent supporter and ambassador for Marie Curie. The charity’s nurses provided end-of-life care for Barry, and Paul previously spoke about how the nurses looked after his brother “with incredible care and kindness”.
Elliott, 78, is now being recognised as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for charitable service, having been an official ambassador for Marie Curie since October 2016.
He told the Press Association: “It’s absolutely brilliant. It’s such an honour, a lad from a council estate in Rotherham, and after all these years, getting an MBE is just such an honour. I’m very much a royalist.”
He said the charity first came to his attention when he saw an ad on TV.
He said: “I was just watching an advert for Marie Curie on the telly, and I just put on Twitter (now X) if everybody that followed me just paid £1 each to Marie Curie that’d be a lot of money for them, £50,000.
“And Marie Curie got in touch with me, and it’s gone on straight from there, really.”
The comedian said of receiving a letter about his MBE: “It was just such a surprise. It was a wonderful feeling, absolutely wonderful feeling, saying Member of the Order of the British Empire, really exciting.”
He said the only person he has told is his wife Sue, and added about his trip to pick up the honour: “I don’t know where it’ll be – Windsor or Buckingham Palace or wherever – it’s just a wonderful thought. I’m getting tingles now thinking about it.”
He added: “A big thank you to Marie Curie for putting me forward for this. It’s such a shock, a wonderful one, probably the best shock I’ve ever had in my life.”
The TV star previously described the loss of his brother as “devastating”, saying it was “like losing my right arm”.
He added: “He was my best friend as well as my brother and no-one could ever make me laugh like Baz, as I called him.”
Speaking in 2020, he said: “Working on stage with him is what I miss most. No-one could make me laugh like he could.
“We started out in showbusiness together when he was 18 and I was 15, and we were never apart from then on. I was the feed and he was the comic – the Ernie Wise to his Eric Morecambe.”
Marie Curie’s chief executive Matthew Reed said: “We are so pleased to hear that Paul has received an MBE for his services to Marie Curie.
“His support over the years has made a huge difference and he truly deserves to be recognised for his unwavering dedication and devotion to our charity.
“We’re extremely lucky to have Paul as one of our Marie Curie ambassadors and we hope to continue to work with him for many years to come.”
Paul and Barry were born in Rotherham and got their break winning TV’s Opportunity Knocks in 1967.
They went on to appear on the BBC comedy series Lennie And Jerry, hosted by Lennie Bennett and Jerry Stevens, and on the long-running BBC programme The Good Old Days, as well as on The Freddie Starr Showcase.
In 1980, they took part in a children’s show, A Merry Morning, and then in 1985 the brothers launched a pre-school programme on the BBC entitled Chuckle Hounds, in which they performed routines with no dialogue, while dressed up in giant dog costumes.
But it was ChuckleVision that made them household names – and the show proved a ratings hit with children, running for 21 series over a period of 22 years from 1987 to 2009.
The brothers were still touring and performing in packed theatres, nightclubs and student venues until shortly before Barry’s death.
In 2008, they were honoured with the special award at the Bafta children’s awards.
Their cult status was enhanced in 2014 when they recorded a charity single, To Me, To You (Bruv), with grime artist Tinchy Stryder. It had three million downloads and led to them performing at Bestival.
Elliott has appeared on the BBC’s The Real Marigold Hotel, as well as a number of quiz shows for charity, including Pointless Celebrities, Tenable All Stars and Celebrity Mastermind.
Marie Curie depends on fundraising and public donations, and provides end-of-life care for people with an illness they are likely to die from, as well as supporting family and friends.
Published: by Radio NewsHub