Paul Chuckle is reportedly being cast to star in Celebrity Big Brother.
The 76-year-old CBBC legend, best known for his Chucklevision series alongside his brother Barry, was set to take part in the previous series earlier this year but was then dropped after bosses hired Louis Walsh instead.
Sources have claimed that following the casting of Louis and Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith, there were fears the cast was “skewed” in terms of age, so Paul was ruled out.
However, it is now reported that Paul will be appearing in the next edition of Celebrity in 2025, after ITV bosses brought back the format in March.
A source said The sun‘After ‘Uncle Gary’ Goldsmith (Louis and Kate Middleton) was cast, the cast was a bit skewed in terms of age, so Paul was ruled out.
Bosses are reportedly considering Paul Chuckle to star in the next series of Celebrity Big Brother, after he was dropped from the last series in favour of Louis Walsh.
The CBBC legend, best known for his Chucklevision series alongside his brother Barry, was due to appear in the previous series earlier this year.
‘It’s early days as the Big Brother team are still busy with the ‘civilian series’ in October, but Paul’s name is in the mix for the celebrity version in March.’
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Paul Chuckle and ITV for comment.
Louis turned out to be one of the biggest signings in the latest series of CBB, causing quite a stir with his outspoken opinions on his famous friends, as well as his playful friendship with Sharon Osbourne.
Despite finishing in fourth place, The X Factor judge proved to be one of the most memorable characters of the final series, with David Potts eventually crowned the series’ champion.
The Ibiza Weekender star narrowly pipped Nikita Kuzmin to take the Celebrity Big Brother crown by finishing second, with Colson Smith in third, Louis in fourth and Fern Britton in fifth.
Meanwhile, Ekin-Su Culculoglu, who was evicted earlier in the series, admitted she felt “bullied” during her time on the show, but admitted it was her “own fault”.
Paul, whose real surname is Elliott, and his brother Barry were famous for their slapstick comedy show, which ran from 1987 to 2009, and their famous catchphrase “for me, for you”.
Barry tragically died of cancer in 2018 at the age of 74, and Paul has since appeared on a number of reality shows including Celebrity MasterChef and The Real Marigold Hotel.
Louis turned out to be one of the biggest signings in the latest series of CBB, causing quite a stir with his outspoken opinions on his famous friends.
In 2022, Paul revealed that he once saw the ghost of his late brother and comedy partner, Barry, backstage before a show.
Barry tragically died of cancer in 2018 at the age of 74, but Paul said his beloved older brother sent him a message from beyond the grave as he prepared to go solo.
Speaking to The Sun, Paul said he saw the ghost of his late brother backstage at a pantomime, the first role in which he would appear alone on stage.
As the duo’s ChuckleVision theme tune began to play, Paul says he saw his brother “winking” and “nodding” to give him the confidence to go it alone.
He recalled: ‘I remember standing backstage, waiting for my entrance and the music playing.
‘Barry would be on the other side, when he came in, he wouldn’t be there anymore.’
“But I swear I saw him from the side of the stage, and he nodded and winked at me. It gave me confidence to walk across the stage and the audience lifted me up beautifully.”
The veteran artist, whose real name was Barry Elliot, died of lung cancer in 2018.
Barry tragically died of cancer in 2018 at the age of 74, and Paul has since appeared on several reality shows, including Celebrity MasterChef.
According to The Mirror, he was unable to attend his older brother Jimmy Elliot’s wedding to Amy Phillips, a 26-year-old ChuckleVision fan, shortly before his death.
The television and theatre star fell ill while filming a new television series called Chuckle Time and his health subsequently deteriorated.
At the time, Paul paid a moving tribute: “Not only have I lost my brother, I have lost my theatre partner of many, many years and my best friend.”
ChuckleVision was named the best CBBC series of all time by Radio Times in 2019.
In a poll of 3,000 people, ChuckleVision was named the best, followed by The Story Of Tracy Beaker and Dick And Dom In Da Bungalow.
Paul said at the time: ‘Thank you all for helping put ChuckleVision where it belongs, number one!’