Comedian Paul Elliott, one half of the Chuckle Brothers, has revealed he resisted the temptation to use the duo's famous “To me, to you” catchphrase while receiving an MBE from the King. Elliott, 78, was honoured for charitable services at a ceremony on Tuesday, alongside stars including Sir Idris Elba and Dame Meera Syal.
Elliott said he had a “really good” conversation with the monarch, who asked about his work as an ambassador for Marie Curie. When asked if he considered referencing the ChuckleVision catchphrase, Elliott replied: “I was at one point, and thought, ‘I’d better not’. He’s a year younger than me, not a ChuckleVision (fan)… I don’t think he watches ChuckleVision.”
The show, which ran for 292 episodes across 23 series, became a staple of British television. Elliott described its enduring popularity as “amazing”, recalling that the producers initially doubted they could create 30 different storylines. “292 episodes later, and we never repeated anything,” he said.
Elliott became an ambassador for Marie Curie alongside his brother Barry in 2016. Barry died of bone cancer in August 2018 at the age of 73, with the charity’s nurses caring for him in his final hours. Elliott praised the charity’s support, saying: “They’re just wonderful people, not just looking after the person who was dying, but the family around them.”
Reflecting on his late brother, Elliott said Barry would have “loved” to see him receive the award. “We used to think for years we’d never get any sort of recognition, at any time in our lives, so he would have loved to be here,” he added.
