ChuckleVision
ChuckleVision was a long-running English comedy television show, created by and starring Paul and Barry Elliot, better known as the Chuckle Brothers. The show ran for 21 series, between 1987 and 2009.
Background
Paul (born 1944) and Barry (born 1947) Elliot were two sons of a veteran stage show performer, and the younger brothers of entertainers Jimmy and Brian Patton. After decades of stage work, and several unsuccessful attempts to break into television broadcasting, the first series of ChuckleVision was filmed and aired on BBC One in 1987. The show was instantly successful, and ran on the same channel until the brothers' retirement from the show in 2009.
Premise
Each show, which lasts 20 minutes (reduced to 15 minutes from 2001 onwards), revolves around the escapades of the Chuckle Brothers, as they attempt to complete a simple job or task, and inevitably fail miserably, with comedic results. The job is often given to them by either "No Slacking" (a character portrayed alternately by Jimmy or Brian Patton) or "Dan the Van", an often-mentioned character who is never shown on screen.
The show's humour is mainly slapstick physical comedy, or based on Paul's tendency to over-complicate simple situations, or the brother's misunderstanding of common colloquial phrases. Frequently-used catchphrases such as '"To me." "To you."' and "Oh, dear, oh, dear" are also a source of humour. Neither of the brothers show common sense for any sustained period, but despite this Paul thinks of himself of being cleverer than both his brother, and other people. Barry often sees through his brother's stupidity, but either his objections are dismissed, or he only acknowledges it with a look to the camera.
Though the show revolves mainly around the two brothers, episodes often feature a tertiary character, who the brothers attempt to assist, but end up annoying due to their incompetence.
Each episode of the show usually had a unique plot, although later in the show's history, two-episode stories became more common.
