Comedian Paul Elliott, best known as one half of the iconic Chuckle Brothers, revealed he resisted the urge to utter their famous "To me, to you" catchphrase while receiving an MBE from King Charles.
Elliott, who was honoured for his charitable service, joked he decided against it, fearing the monarch might not be a fan of the long-running children’s show.
The 78-year-old was among 68 individuals recognised by the King on Tuesday, an event that also saw Luther star Sir Idris Elba and comedian and actress Dame Meera Syal receive accolades.
Elliott, who was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, shared that he had a "really good" conversation with the King, who enquired about his extensive work as an ambassador for Marie Curie.
When pressed on whether he was tempted to use the catchphrase during the ceremony, Elliott admitted: "I was at one point, and thought, ‘I’d better not’." He added, with a touch of humour, "He’s a year younger than me, not a ChuckleVision (fan)… I don’t think he watches ChuckleVision."
ChuckleVision, a staple in many British households, captivated audiences with the hapless, accident-prone brothers causing chaos wherever they went. The show ran for nearly 300 episodes throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and Elliott described its enduring impact as "amazing".
He recalled: "The first series, back in ’97, we thought, ‘Let’s hope we get two or three series out of it’. Twenty-three series later, they take it off (air)." He also highlighted the show’s remarkable originality: "292 episodes later, and we never repeated anything."
Elliott became an ambassador for the end-of-life charity Marie Curie alongside his late brother Barry in October 2016. The charity holds a deeply personal significance for the comedian, as its nurses provided care for Barry in his final hours before he died of bone cancer in August 2018 at the age of 73.
Reflecting on their ambassadorship, Elliott said: "Barry and I were ambassadors for four years before he died. We love the things they do. They’re just wonderful people, not just looking after the person who was dying, but the family around them. That’s the main thing. They might give you a big hug around you, because everybody needs a hug when they’re losing somebody."
He also shared how Marie Curie nurses supported his wife after her father passed away, staying with her all night.
"Just absolutely amazing the things that they do," he continued, praising their ongoing support. "And they’re there for you, two, three, four months, however long you need them for after somebody’s passed. You can just get on to ring them, and they’ll talk to you and comfort you again. It’s that big hug they give you all the time. Wonderful people."
Asked what Barry would have made of the honour, Elliott concluded: "He’d love it. Very much a royalist, like me. It’s just a wonderful day."
