Barry Chuckle of the Chuckle Brothers has died aged 73

His manager has confirmed the news

Barry Chuckle, one half the comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers, has died at the age of 73. The comedian, real name Barry Elliott, was known for his slapstick routines, visual humour, and recurring catchphrases "To me (to you)" and "oh dear, oh dear" along with his brother, Paul. His manager, Phil Dale, said:

"It is with great sadness that the family announce that Barry passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his wife Ann and all his family." "The family would like to express their thanks to the many people who have been fans of the Chuckle Brothers and they know that they will share in part the great, great loss they feel."

His longtime comedy partner Paul Chuckle said: "I've not just lost my brother, I've lost my theatrical partner of many, many years and my very best friend." The pair were famous for their hit sketch show ChuckleVision, which celebrated its 21st series in 2010, but have been performing on television since winning the talent competition Opportunity Knocks in 1967. The Chuckle Brothers returned to television screens this year with a new series called Chuckle Time, a Saturday night entertainment format for Channel 5. Elliott also appeared in the short film about Joseph Grimaldi called The Funniest Man in the World in 2017. Fans posted tributes of the entertainer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1026014480315105280 https://twitter.com/SmithySoccerAM/status/1026014397624287232 https://twitter.com/jonoread/status/1026014833442004992 https://twitter.com/STU_ACTOR/status/1026014011958157312 More to follow