Paul Chuckle has said he once saw his brother Barry appear to him as a ghost before a show.
The children’s entertainers, better known as the Chuckle Brothers, performed together for over six decades before Barry’s death from cancer in 2018, aged 74.
In an interview with Richard Herring on his RHLSTP podcast, Paul said that Barry appeared to him as a ghost on the night of his first solo show.
“I swear I could see him to the side of the stage, and he’s nodding and winking at me,” Paul said. “It gave me confidence to walk on stage and the audience lifted me beautifully.”
He added: “He was my brother, my work partner, my best mate, everything.”
Paul also revealed that Barry told him he “must carry on the business” and not to “pack it in”.
Paul said he had reservations about continuing as a solo act after his brother’s death, but Barry reiterated “just keep doing something”.
First appearing as a double act in the late 1960s, the siblings won the talent show Opportunity Knocks before going on to make various appearances across comedy panel shows throughout the 1970s.
The brothers are best known for their long-running children’s comedy series ChuckleVision which aired on the BBC between 1987 and 2009. During its time on air, ChuckleVision was consistently one of the most popular shows among younger viewers.
Following the end of ChuckleVision, the brothers would appear on shows such as Celebrity Coach Trip and Still Open All Hours. They also made a clip show for Channel 5 called Chuckle Time which was cut short following Barry’s death to bone cancer.
