Paul Chuckle has claimed he and late brother Barry would have ‘nailed’ notoriously violent East End gangsters the Kray twins in a bizarre admission.
The comedian, 78, and his sibling, who passed away in 2018, are better known for their slapstick kids’ show Chucklevision and ‘to me, to you’ catchphrase rather than gangland warfare.
But Paul, who is taking on the role of a mob boss in a new movie Fall To The Top, has claimed that he and Barry would have had no trouble sorting out hard men Ronnie and Reggie.
The Kray siblings used a mixture of extreme violence and intimidation to rule the criminal underworld of London’s East End in the 1960s.
But the night club owners’ 12-year reign of terror finally came to an end in 1969 when they were arrested on charges of murdering fellow gangsters Jack ‘the Hat’ McVitie and George Cornell.
When asked how he and Barry would have dealt with the Krays, Paul quipped: ‘We’d have nailed them, then backed off slowly’.
Paul Chuckle has claimed he and late brother Barry would have ‘nailed’ notoriously violent East End gangsters the Kray twins in a bizarre admission
The comedian and his sibling, who passed away in 2018, are better known for their TV show Chucklevision and ‘to me, to you’ catchphrase rather than gangland warfare (pictured 1990)
But Paul, who is taking on the role of a mob boss in a new movie, has claimed that he and Barry would have had no trouble in deal with hard men Ronnie (L) and Reggie Kray (R) pictued 1965
Later telling The Guardian about being offered the role of a movie gangster: ‘Bring it on!’ I thought: Well, that suits me down to the ground. I used to bully Barry around in Chuckle Brothers. Why not go one step further?’.
However now left to work without comedy partner Barry, he said: ‘I miss him dearly. That’s the biggest thing I miss – working with him on stage – because we did so together for over 50 years’.
The duo won the talent show Opportunity Knocks in 1967 – before making TV history with their iconic children’s TV show, Chucklevision, which ran from 1987-2009.
Barry tragically died from cancer in 2018 at the age of 74.
It comes following the news that Paul has been made an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours list, for his outstanding contributions to the UKs leading end of life charity, Marie Curie.
The brothers became official ambassadors for Marie Curie in October 2016 and together they regularly helped to raise funds and awareness, donated auction prizes for events, and supported campaigns on social media.
Following Barry’s death, Paul has continued to be an active Marie Curie Ambassador. Having experienced first-hand the invaluable care Barry received from Marie Curie nurses, Paul has a deeply personal connection to the charity.
Paul said: ‘Receiving this Honour has been a huge surprise – I’m absolutely over the moon! It was mine and Barry’s privilege to support Marie Curie together for all those years until he died, and it’s been my pleasure to keep supporting them ever since.
When asked how he and Barry would have dealt with the Kray twins, Paul quipped: ‘We’d have nailed them, then backed off slowly’ (pictured 2015)
The Kray siblings used a mixture of extreme violence and intimidation to rule the criminal underworld of London’s East End in the 1960s (pictured 1966)
Paul pictured filming scenes as hitman The Jackal
‘It was so kind of the charity to put me forwards for this recognition, when really, it’s them – the doctors and nurses, the hospice staff, the charity shop staff, the Marie Curie volunteers – who deserve an award. Every day they help make the end of life less frightening and less painful for so many families.’
In a big change of scene Paul’s next role sees him play the killer embroiled in London’s seedy underground drug scene.
In snaps from the set Paul struck an intimating figure in a leather jacket and dark shades while sipping whiskey.
Director Peter Hirst told The Sun: ‘It’s heavy, it’s violent. It’s a very different side of Mr Chuckle.’
‘I was writing it in with him in mind. I saw him on the TV and just when he smiled, I thought there was a glimpse of a dark side that has never been explored.
Before adding: ‘As soon as I reached out he was very keen. He’s been a joy to work with and actually been really good at a very different role’.
