Paul Chuckle says brother Barry would ‘never have done Celebrity MasterChef’ as he reflects on the late comedian

Paul Chuckle claims he is fulfilling a lifelong ambition as he has been a fan of Celebrity MasterChef “since it started”.

The comedian, 74, from Rotherham, is starring in the latest series of the BBC One cookery show, alongside stars including Faye Winter, Richard Blackwood and Katya Jones.

“My brother would never have done Celebrity MasterChef,” Paul said, while reflecting on his brother Barry, who sadly passed away in 2018 after a two-year battle with bone cancer.

During the episode broadcast Wednesday 10 August, viewers were treated to classic catchphrases from Paul and Barry’s famous act, The Chuckle Brothers.

Paul Chuckle was seen saying “To me, to you” with Celebrity MasterChef host Gregg Wallace.

Paul Chuckle

Paul Elliot, known as Paul Chuckle, is one half of comedy duo The Chuckle Brothers.

Paul and Barry Chuckle were the stars of ChuckleVision between 1987 and 2009.

The duo have had a prominent television career, as well as working on stage performances across the country.

Despite being a long way from his comedy acting days of ChuckleVision, Paul Chuckle knows that his late brother would be pleased to see him on television again.

Paul said: “He would have said, ‘Good lad. Get on there’.

“He wanted me to stay in the business – which I’ve done.

“I’ve done pantomimes every year since he died except, of course, when there were no pantomimes because of Covid.”

Paul gushed about MasterChef, saying: “I’ve been a fan since it started.

“I’ve always liked cooking, it’s a very relaxing thing to do, and since the inception of Celebrity MasterChef, I’ve always said to my manager, ‘Can’t you get me on that? I’d love to do that’.”

“The first day, it’s a bit like sitting an exam at school. You’re not allowed to lift the paper to see what your questions are until they say, ‘Go!’ and the time starts.

“You lift the cloche off, and I’ve got mushrooms under there, just a load of mushrooms.

“I thought, what am I going to do with that – mushrooms on toast?”

The comedian recounted the first challenge of Wednesday’s programme, explaining that even once he’d fetched his other ingredients that things weren’t coming together.

“I still didn’t know what I was going to do with the mushrooms,” he says, describing the whole process as “a bit nerve-wracking.“

“Cooking at home you’ve got all afternoon to cook, you’re not under time pressure, whereas there you’ve got an hour to prepare and cook and serve a dish.

“That is when the pressure comes in – they’ll say, ‘You’ve had 15 minutes’ – hey? I’ve only just peeled my potatoes!”

Ultimately, despite his struggles, Chuckle called judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode “really lovely guys”.