Misplaced Pages

ChuckleVision: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 08:19, 24 July 2011 editXLinkBot (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers719,067 edits BOT--Reverting link addition(s) by 62.30.121.188 to revision 440194248 (http://delta-digital-media.blogspot.com/2011/07/chucklevision-christmas-halloween.html)← Previous edit Latest revision as of 13:10, 11 September 2024 edit undoWilliam Avery (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers477,899 edits Reverted 1 edit by 2A00:23C5:2309:1101:F9FE:2DE:9D91:88DC (talk)Tags: Twinkle Undo 
(599 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|BBC television series}}
{{See also|List of ChuckleVision episodes}}
{{Refimprove|date=April 2011}} {{more citations needed|date=May 2018}}
{{Review|date=September 2010}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox television
{{over detailed|date=April 2011}}
| image = CVtitle.png
{{infobox television
| show_name = ChuckleVision | caption = ''ChuckleVision'' title card (series 3 to 21)
| alt_name =
| show_name_2 =
| genre = ]
| image = ]
| creator = ]
| caption = ChuckleVision opening title
| writer = John Sayle <br> Rory Clark <br> ] <br> and others
| format = ] ]
| director = Martin Hughes, et al.
| runtime = 163x 20 minutes <small>(1990-2001)</small><br>122x 15 minutes (1987-1989, 2002- ) 1x 30 minutes(2008)
| creator = ] | starring = ]
| theme_music_composer = Dave Cooke
| writer = ]
| opentheme = "ChuckleVision"
| director = ]
| composer = Dave Cooke
| producer = ]
| country = ]
| theme_music_composer = Dave Cooke
| language = English
| opentheme= "ChuckleVision"
| num_episodes = 292
| composer = Dave Cooke
| list_episodes = List of ChuckleVision episodes
| location = Rotherham, England
| producer = Martin Hughes
| starring = Paul and Barry Elliot<br/>Jimmy Patton<b/r>Brian Patton<br/>Gene Patton (guest)
| location = Rotherham, England (series 3–21)
| country = United Kingdom
| runtime = 20 minutes (1987–1989, 1991–2001)<br>15 minutes (1989–1990, 2002–2009)<br>30 minutes (2008)
| network = ] / ]
| company = BBC
| picture_format = ](1987-2001), ] (2002-2009)
| network = ] (1987–2009)<br/>] (2002–2009)
| cinematography = ChuckleVision Horror Spoof (2011/2012)
| first_aired = {{Start date|1987|9|26|df=y}}
| company = BBC Productions
| first_aired = {{Start date|1987|9|26|df=y}} | last_aired = {{End date|2009|12|18|df=y}}
| related = '']'' (1996–1998)<br>'']'' (2018)
| last_aired = Present
| num_series = 21
| num_episodes = 292 <small>(as of 18 December 2009)</small>
| num_series = 22 <small>(as of 2011)</small> {{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
| list_episodes = List of ChuckleVision episodes
| language = English
| related = '']'' (1996-1998)
| status = Series 22 in filming, due to air Summer 2011. {{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
}} }}

'''''ChuckleVision''''' is a popular British ] shown mainly on ]. New episodes are always first aired on ], and occasionally episodes are shown on ]. The first episode was shown on 26 September 1987. It follows the adventures of the ] & the ], who find themselves in all sorts of situations that they must cope with. The twenty-first series of ChuckleVision started on 11 December 2009 on BBC One. A 3D movie is also in production and set to possibly be released in late 2012.<ref>http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s136/coach-trip/interviews/a286014/barry-chuckle-celebrity-coach-trip.html</ref>
'''''ChuckleVision''''' is a British ] ] television series created by Martin Hughes and the ] for the BBC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/c/chucklevision_7771425.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041128182642/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/c/chucklevision_7771425.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 November 2004|title=BBC – Comedy Guide – Chucklevision|date=28 November 2004|access-date=21 August 2018}}</ref> It starred Barry and Paul Elliott as the Chuckle Brothers and occasionally their older brothers, Jimmy, and Brian Elliott (known professionally as the ]).

It aired to critical acclaim and notoriety becoming widely known among a large span of generations for their ] humour and catchphrases such as "To me, to you" and "Oh dear, oh dear". It ran for 292 episodes over twenty-two years from 1987 to 2009.

In January 2018 it was voted as one of the greatest children's TV shows of all time by a '']'' panel of experts.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 50 greatest children's TV shows of all time |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/the-50-greatest-childrens-tv-shows-of-all-time/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=26 January 2022}}</ref> Further in August 2019, it was voted the best CBBC show of all time by readers of '']''.<ref>{{cite news|last= Powell| first= Emma| title= Paul Chuckle "thrilled" as Chucklevision voted greatest CBBC series of all time| url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-08-28/paul-chuckle-thrilled-as-chucklevision-voted-greatest-cbbc-series-of-all-time/| work=]| date=28 August 2019| access-date= 30 August 2019}}</ref>


==Plot== ==Plot==
{{main|List of ChuckleVision episodes|List of British comedy series by episode count}}
Episodes of ChuckleVision are usually independent. The basic plot to each show is the brothers undertaking some sort of job, task or adventure. They are often employed by a character known as ''No Slacking'', who is always played by the brothers’ real-life brother, ]. No Slacking is meant to be a different character in every episode he appears in; however, he is always known by this name owing to the catchphrase he always says to get the bumbling brothers to work properly. No Slacking usually appears several times in each series, although in recent years this number has been reduced to once or twice a series. In each episode his life is either ruined or otherwise inconvenienced by Paul and Barry. A large amount of the comedy is based on ].

Episodes of ''ChuckleVision'' were usually independent, with the basic plot for each involving the brothers undertaking a job, task or adventure. They were often employed by a character known as "No Slacking", who, despite appearing as a different character in every episode, was always known by this name because of his catchphrase ("And remember, No Slacking!"). The character was always inconvenienced by Paul and Barry and was played by the brothers' real-life elder sibling, Jimmy Patton. Jimmy was part of a comedy act with his brother Brian, who also appeared in various episodes, mostly playing a villain with the catchphrase "Getoutofit!". A large amount of the comedy is ].

The duo also carried out work for "Dan the Van", who was never seen on screen, apart from a single episode where the Chuckle Brothers take it upon themselves to make sure he arrives to a special meeting. Dan's face cannot be seen as he is completely covered in bandages and is wearing dark glasses. Relatives of Dan the Van are sometimes seen or referred to, such as his grandmother, Lettuce the Van.

There are often references to Rotherham United football club as the brothers support the club in the TV show and the actors support them in real life too.

In the first two series (1987–1989), each episode focused on a certain topic, in the style of '']''. These episodes had rarely been available since their original transmission, until the series was released onto DVD in Autumn 2011. Both series featured a segment called "Armchair Theatre" where ] would tell a story to the viewers. The first series also featured magician ] performing a trick.

The brothers' main mode of ] was "The Chuckmobile", a ] with a red-and-white striped roof. Barry was usually the driver, whilst Paul put his feet up on the front bar. Paul only pedalled the bike very occasionally throughout the entire series. The ] of the bike is CHUCKLE 1. In 2018, 'The Chuckmobile' was bought by entertainments company InTo Entertain, who now hire out the bike for events such as weddings, festivals and quirky occasions with the brand name 'Chuckle Your Vision'.


An exception to the usual format of stand-alone episodes came with Series 14, broadcast in 2002. The series employed a continuous storyline throughout each episode, involving the brothers' hunt for a missing ruby. They continued a similar trend in the next two series, with two 3-part stories in Series 15, entitled "The Purple Pimple" and "Magnetic Distraction". A two part story called "Incredible Shrinking Barry" appears in Series 16. From Series 17, this trend was not repeated.
Their other real brother, Brian Patton, (who is a double act with Jimmy, the ]) has appeared on and off since 1995. His character can often be heard to say, "Get out of it!", or "I may have misjudged you.".


==Characters==
On occasion, the jobs they carry out can be somewhat surreal or put them in surreal circumstances, this was very much enforced in the recent years of ''ChuckleVision''. Once, they babysat for a boy who got out of his bed, leaving a football on his pillow, leading them to believe that his head had come off. Another episode involves Barry being able to see an invisible ] which Paul cannot see.
* Paul Chuckle (played by ])
* Barry Chuckle (played by ])
* No Slacking (played by ], series 3–21)
* Getoutofit (played by ], series 7–20)


Paul is the dominant sibling of the two and often due to his blind confidence the two end up in bother. When Paul realises he has made a mistake, he often blames Barry and tends to make Barry do the work whilst taking the credit for himself. Neither brother is particularly bright.
The duo also often carry out jobs and tasks given to them by "Dan the Van", who is never seen, except in one episode where the Chuckle brothers decide it upon them to make sure he arrives to the special meeting. However, Dan the Van's face cannot be seen, as he is covered in bandages all over, and wearing dark shades. In other episodes we hear of, or sometimes see, relatives of Dan the Van, for example Grandmother Lettuce the Van appears in Chuckle and the Pea and his niece can be seen in ''Dim Waiters''.


Paul and Barry both possess Northern English accents and have a number of ]s, some of which involve one brother replying to the other brother's line. Thus "To me" receives the reply "To you", and "Silly me" is met with "Silly you". The line "Oh dear" is regularly followed by "Oh ''dear'', oh dear", and sometimes by "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear" when something goes wrong.
The format of the first two series (1987–1989) consisted of each episode focusing on a certain topic, a sort of humorous '']''. These episodes have rarely, if ever, been seen by the public eye since their original transmission. The opening title sequence was different too, with rings coming from the centre of the picture flashing in dark blue, mid-blue and light blue in a psychedelic fashion with yellow lettering "ChuckleVision" on a red rectangle repeatedly jump-zooming in and out and tilting from side to side as it does this, while the original version of the ChuckleVision theme tune plays. These opening titles are then followed by clips of the programme.


There are often references made to ], whom the brothers support in real life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fourfourtwo.com/interviews/celebrityfans/373/article.aspx|title = The Chuckle Brothers| date=May 2009 |publisher = ]|access-date =12 October 2012}}</ref> In "Football Heroes", Paul and Barry play for Rotherham after a mix-up with two former players of the club, Paul scores an ] and thinking it was a genuine goal, celebrates with Barry.
The brothers’ main mode of ] is "The Chucklemobile". It is a ] with a red-and-white striped roof. Barry is usually relegated to driving, whilst Paul puts his feet up on the front bar. Paul only pedals as well as Barry twice in the whole series, in ''Safari Park Keepers'', when they are running away from ]s and - though it is not shown very well - Paul also pedals at the end of ''Plumb Crazy'', when the pair have wrecked Mrs Blenkinsop's garden, and drive away before she comes back. The ] is Chuckle 1.


==Production and broadcast==
An exception to the usual format of stand-alone episodes came with the fourteenth series, broadcast in 2002. This used a continuous storyline involving the brothers’ hunt for a missing ]. They continued a similar trend in the next two series, with two 3-part stories in Series 15, entitled ''The Purple Pimple'' and ''Magnetic Barry''. A two part story called ''Incredible Shrinking Barry'' appears in Series 16. From Series 17 onwards, this trend hasn’t been repeated.
The main writer throughout the series' run was John Sayle, who wrote most of the episodes in each series. Episodes have also been written by ] and ] themselves.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guide |first=British Comedy |date=2022-09-26 |title=Writing ChuckleVision |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/chucklevision/features/writing-chucklevision/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=British Comedy Guide |language=en}}</ref> From Series 14 onwards, the run time of each episode was reduced from twenty minutes to fifteen. Series 12 and 13 were also re-edited to match the new run times.


From Series 14 onwards, ]s were shown during the credits of each episode.
==Characteristics==


For Series 4, a new theme arrangement was produced by Dave Cooke. This remained from then on, but was shortened from Series 17.
Paul is the dominant of the two; it's often due to his blind confidence that the two end up in bother. When he realises he has made a mistake, he often blames Barry and also tends to make Barry do the hard work and takes the credit for himself. Neither brother is particularly bright, however Paul appears at times to possess more common sense than Barry, and Barry seems more aware of the fact their work is not appreciated by other people. Normally when a third party character is on screen the two brothers display an equal lack of intelligence. However, by the end, ] is usually done and if either brother is to come out on top at the end of the episode, it will invariably be Barry. However, this war between the brothers only happens in about half the episodes. The classic episodes of the show often ended with the brothers running away from some angered third party they had been trying to help.


From Series 13 onwards, all episodes were shot in ].
Paul and Barry both have iconic northern accents and have a number of ]s, some of which involve one brother replying to the other brother's line. Thus "To me" receives the reply "To you", and "'Course it is, silly me" is met with "Silly you". The line "Oh dear" is regularly followed by "Oh ''dear'', oh dear", and sometimes by "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear" when something goes wrong. This was inspired by the BBC comedy '']'', in which the character Spike used to say "oh dear, oh dear, oh dear" when something bad had happened.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}


The series ended its 22-year run at the end of 2009, due to dropped ratings and less interest by the ], with the final series airing in December of that year. Repeats occurred regularly until the end of 2012. The 2008 Christmas Special became the last episode to be broadcast on ], being shown on Christmas Day 2013.
There are often references made to ], whom the brothers support in real life.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} In "Football Heroes", Paul and Barry play for Rotherham F.C and score an ].


Following the death of ] in 2018,<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 August 2018|title=Chuckle Brothers star Barry dies at 73 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-45074955|work=BBC News|access-date=2024-02-20}}</ref> all six episodes of the final series were made available on ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ChuckleVision returns to iPlayer after BBC is "inundated by requests" from fans following Barry Chuckle's death |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/chucklevision-bbc-iplayer-barry-chuckle/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Chuckle brands BBC tribute to Barry a "slap in the face" |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/paul-chuckle-brands-bbc-tribute-to-barry-a-slap-in-the-face/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Production==
The programme has had numerous writers, including the Chuckle Brothers themselves. The main writer is John Sayle, who writes the majority of each series.


The Series 12 episode 'No Pets Allowed' was repeated on BBC Four on 11 December 2022, as part of a season of repeats of classic children's programmes for the BBC's 100th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g4nz|title=No Pets Allowed|website=]|access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref>
Series 14, along with the continuing storyline, saw another change. The length of the show was reduced from the usual 20 minute episode to 15 minutes. The main reason behind this was due to the BBC re-organising the schedule. This was also the reason why the BBC edited series 12 and 13 to fit in with the new 15 minute length.


==Awards==
Due to Paul and Barry having other commitments, Series 20 and 21 only feature six episodes.
On 9 December 2018, ''ChuckleVision'' received its first award, Special Recognition at the I Talk Telly Awards. The award was the only one to be decided by Founder Elliot Gonzalez, rather than the public.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italktelly.com/awards2018|title=I Talk Telly|date=9 December 2018|access-date=9 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Guide |first=British Comedy |date=2018-12-09 |title=ChuckleVision amongst I Talk Telly Awards 2018 winners |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/5137/i_talk_telly_awards_2018/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=British Comedy Guide |language=en}}</ref>


Paul reacted to the news on Twitter, stating "After 292 episodes spanning 22 years this is the first time EVER that ChuckleVision has been recognised for an award so thank you @elliot_gonzalez and italktelly.com".
==Broadcasting==
In the 8th episode of Series 4, entitled ''Bowl-derdash'', the theme tune was slightly altered. This theme tune has remained ever since, but was shortened in the seventeenth series and also edited for the shortened versions of Series 12 and 13. All the episodes in the fourteenth series display the BBC logo on the title scene and the unedited versions of series thirteen display the BBC logo on the side of the title scene, but none of the episodes from other series show this logo. Since the 2002 series during the end credits, ]s and ]s are usually shown instead of ]s.


==Commercial release==
The ] hosted a ‘ChuckleZone’, which lasted an hour every Saturday morning showing three 20-minute episodes that were from earlier series (including the original versions of Series 12 and 13).


=== TV series ===
There have been 4 DVD releases of the brothers on stage: ''Pirates of the River Rother'', ''Spooky Going's On'', ''Indiana Chuckles and the Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk'' and ''The Chuckle Brothers In Trouble''. All these feature live performances of the brothers, one filmed at ], one at ], one at ], and the other at ]. The ''Chuckle Brothers In Trouble'' DVD filmed at York was a "rehearsal" performance. There has also been a ] release entitled "Goofy Golfers" featuring 3 episodes of ChuckleVision.
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center;"
!colspan="2" rowspan="2"|DVD title
!rowspan="2"|Discs
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Ep. no.
!colspan="1"|DVD releases
!rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
!]
|-
|bgcolor="FF7F00"|
|]
|4
|1987–1988
|13
|24 October 2011/ 25 July 2016
|Includes Christmas Special
|-
|bgcolor="FF7F00"|
|]
|4
|1988–1989
|13
|29 October 2012/ 29 August 2016
|
|-
|bgcolor="FF7F00"|
|]
|1
|1989–1990
|13
|17 April 2017
|
|}
A BBC ] was released in April 1993 entitled "Goofy Golfers" which featured three episodes from the fourth series, however it is now out of production.<ref>{{Citation|title = ChuckleVision – Goofy Golfers|url = https://www.amazon.co.uk/ChuckleVision-Goofy-Golfers-Paul-Chuckle/dp/B00004CN76|access-date = 2015-10-09}}</ref> In 2011 and 2012, Delta Music released two DVD box sets of the first two series. These were re-released in 2016 alongside series 3, which was released for the first time onto DVD by Simply Media.


=== Music ===
In December 2008, there was a Christmas special (named ''The Mystery of Little Under-Standing''), in which the brothers uncovered a jewel thief.
In 2014, composer Dave Cooke released 'Volume 1' of ChuckleVision ]s and music cues as a ]. Five more volumes, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have since been released.


===Stage productions===
The most recent series, the twenty first, consisting of 6 episodes, was aired between 11 December 2009 and Friday 18 December 2009.
There have been four DVD releases of the brothers on stage: ''Pirates of the River Rother'', ''Spooky Goings On'', ''Indiana Chuckles and the Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk'' and ''The Chuckle Brothers in Trouble''. All these feature live performances of the brothers, one filmed at ], one at ], one at ], and the other at ]. The ''Chuckle Brothers in Trouble'' DVD filmed at York was a "rehearsal" performance. There is also a box set of ''Pirates of the River Rother'' and ''Spooky Goings On'', released in 2008.


==References== ==References==
Line 80: Line 131:


==External links== ==External links==
*{{BBC Programme|b006w487}}
*
*{{IMDb title|0291596}} *{{IMDb title|0291596}}


{{ChuckleVision}} {{ChuckleVision}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2011}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Chucklevision}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Chucklevision}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 13:10, 11 September 2024

BBC television series
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "ChuckleVision" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision title card (series 3 to 21)
GenrePhysical comedy
Created byThe Chuckle Brothers
Written byJohn Sayle
Rory Clark
Chuckle Brothers
and others
Directed byMartin Hughes, et al.
StarringThe Chuckle Brothers
Theme music composerDave Cooke
Opening theme"ChuckleVision"
ComposerDave Cooke
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series21
No. of episodes292 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerMartin Hughes
Production locationsRotherham, England (series 3–21)
Running time20 minutes (1987–1989, 1991–2001)
15 minutes (1989–1990, 2002–2009)
30 minutes (2008)
Production companyBBC
Original release
NetworkBBC One (1987–2009)
CBBC (2002–2009)
Release26 September 1987 (1987-09-26) –
18 December 2009 (2009-12-18)
Related
To Me... To You... (1996–1998)
Chuckle Time (2018)

ChuckleVision is a British children's comedy television series created by Martin Hughes and the Chuckle Brothers for the BBC. It starred Barry and Paul Elliott as the Chuckle Brothers and occasionally their older brothers, Jimmy, and Brian Elliott (known professionally as the Patton Brothers).

It aired to critical acclaim and notoriety becoming widely known among a large span of generations for their Yorkshire humour and catchphrases such as "To me, to you" and "Oh dear, oh dear". It ran for 292 episodes over twenty-two years from 1987 to 2009.

In January 2018 it was voted as one of the greatest children's TV shows of all time by a Radio Times panel of experts. Further in August 2019, it was voted the best CBBC show of all time by readers of Radio Times.

Plot

Main articles: List of ChuckleVision episodes and List of British comedy series by episode count

Episodes of ChuckleVision were usually independent, with the basic plot for each involving the brothers undertaking a job, task or adventure. They were often employed by a character known as "No Slacking", who, despite appearing as a different character in every episode, was always known by this name because of his catchphrase ("And remember, No Slacking!"). The character was always inconvenienced by Paul and Barry and was played by the brothers' real-life elder sibling, Jimmy Patton. Jimmy was part of a comedy act with his brother Brian, who also appeared in various episodes, mostly playing a villain with the catchphrase "Getoutofit!". A large amount of the comedy is slapstick.

The duo also carried out work for "Dan the Van", who was never seen on screen, apart from a single episode where the Chuckle Brothers take it upon themselves to make sure he arrives to a special meeting. Dan's face cannot be seen as he is completely covered in bandages and is wearing dark glasses. Relatives of Dan the Van are sometimes seen or referred to, such as his grandmother, Lettuce the Van.

There are often references to Rotherham United football club as the brothers support the club in the TV show and the actors support them in real life too.

In the first two series (1987–1989), each episode focused on a certain topic, in the style of Blue Peter. These episodes had rarely been available since their original transmission, until the series was released onto DVD in Autumn 2011. Both series featured a segment called "Armchair Theatre" where Billy Butler would tell a story to the viewers. The first series also featured magician Simon Lovell performing a trick.

The brothers' main mode of transport was "The Chuckmobile", a quadracycle with a red-and-white striped roof. Barry was usually the driver, whilst Paul put his feet up on the front bar. Paul only pedalled the bike very occasionally throughout the entire series. The registration plate of the bike is CHUCKLE 1. In 2018, 'The Chuckmobile' was bought by entertainments company InTo Entertain, who now hire out the bike for events such as weddings, festivals and quirky occasions with the brand name 'Chuckle Your Vision'.

An exception to the usual format of stand-alone episodes came with Series 14, broadcast in 2002. The series employed a continuous storyline throughout each episode, involving the brothers' hunt for a missing ruby. They continued a similar trend in the next two series, with two 3-part stories in Series 15, entitled "The Purple Pimple" and "Magnetic Distraction". A two part story called "Incredible Shrinking Barry" appears in Series 16. From Series 17, this trend was not repeated.

Characters

Paul is the dominant sibling of the two and often due to his blind confidence the two end up in bother. When Paul realises he has made a mistake, he often blames Barry and tends to make Barry do the work whilst taking the credit for himself. Neither brother is particularly bright.

Paul and Barry both possess Northern English accents and have a number of catchphrases, some of which involve one brother replying to the other brother's line. Thus "To me" receives the reply "To you", and "Silly me" is met with "Silly you". The line "Oh dear" is regularly followed by "Oh dear, oh dear", and sometimes by "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear" when something goes wrong.

There are often references made to Rotherham United F.C., whom the brothers support in real life. In "Football Heroes", Paul and Barry play for Rotherham after a mix-up with two former players of the club, Paul scores an own goal and thinking it was a genuine goal, celebrates with Barry.

Production and broadcast

The main writer throughout the series' run was John Sayle, who wrote most of the episodes in each series. Episodes have also been written by Russell T Davies and The Chuckle Brothers themselves. From Series 14 onwards, the run time of each episode was reduced from twenty minutes to fifteen. Series 12 and 13 were also re-edited to match the new run times.

From Series 14 onwards, outtakes were shown during the credits of each episode.

For Series 4, a new theme arrangement was produced by Dave Cooke. This remained from then on, but was shortened from Series 17.

From Series 13 onwards, all episodes were shot in widescreen.

The series ended its 22-year run at the end of 2009, due to dropped ratings and less interest by the BBC, with the final series airing in December of that year. Repeats occurred regularly until the end of 2012. The 2008 Christmas Special became the last episode to be broadcast on CBBC, being shown on Christmas Day 2013.

Following the death of Barry Elliot in 2018, all six episodes of the final series were made available on BBC iPlayer.

The Series 12 episode 'No Pets Allowed' was repeated on BBC Four on 11 December 2022, as part of a season of repeats of classic children's programmes for the BBC's 100th anniversary.

Awards

On 9 December 2018, ChuckleVision received its first award, Special Recognition at the I Talk Telly Awards. The award was the only one to be decided by Founder Elliot Gonzalez, rather than the public.

Paul reacted to the news on Twitter, stating "After 292 episodes spanning 22 years this is the first time EVER that ChuckleVision has been recognised for an award so thank you @elliot_gonzalez and italktelly.com".

Commercial release

TV series

DVD title Discs Year Ep. no. DVD releases Notes
Region 2
The Complete Series 1 4 1987–1988 13 24 October 2011/ 25 July 2016 Includes Christmas Special
The Complete Series 2 4 1988–1989 13 29 October 2012/ 29 August 2016
The Complete Series 3 1 1989–1990 13 17 April 2017

A BBC VHS was released in April 1993 entitled "Goofy Golfers" which featured three episodes from the fourth series, however it is now out of production. In 2011 and 2012, Delta Music released two DVD box sets of the first two series. These were re-released in 2016 alongside series 3, which was released for the first time onto DVD by Simply Media.

Music

In 2014, composer Dave Cooke released 'Volume 1' of ChuckleVision soundtracks and music cues as a digital download. Five more volumes, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have since been released.

Stage productions

There have been four DVD releases of the brothers on stage: Pirates of the River Rother, Spooky Goings On, Indiana Chuckles and the Kingdom of the Mythical Sulk and The Chuckle Brothers in Trouble. All these feature live performances of the brothers, one filmed at Blackpool, one at Scarborough, one at Darlington, and the other at York. The Chuckle Brothers in Trouble DVD filmed at York was a "rehearsal" performance. There is also a box set of Pirates of the River Rother and Spooky Goings On, released in 2008.

References

  1. "BBC – Comedy Guide – Chucklevision". 28 November 2004. Archived from the original on 28 November 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  2. "The 50 greatest children's TV shows of all time". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. Powell, Emma (28 August 2019). "Paul Chuckle "thrilled" as Chucklevision voted greatest CBBC series of all time". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. "The Chuckle Brothers". FourFourTwo. May 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  5. Guide, British Comedy (26 September 2022). "Writing ChuckleVision". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  6. "Chuckle Brothers star Barry dies at 73". BBC News. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  7. "ChuckleVision returns to iPlayer after BBC is "inundated by requests" from fans following Barry Chuckle's death". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  8. "Paul Chuckle brands BBC tribute to Barry a "slap in the face"". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  9. "No Pets Allowed". BBC. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  10. "I Talk Telly". 9 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  11. Guide, British Comedy (9 December 2018). "ChuckleVision amongst I Talk Telly Awards 2018 winners". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  12. ChuckleVision – Goofy Golfers, retrieved 9 October 2015

External links

Chuckle Brothers
Categories: