THE Chuckle Brothers turn from cheeky to spooky at the Grand Opera House, York, next Wednesday.

That afternoon, Rotherham double act Paul and Barry Elliott present two performances of their new show, The Chuckle Brothers in Spooky Goings On.

"It's a bit of a ghostly story about a hotel, where we're working and it's supposed to be haunted but whether it is or not, no one knows!" says Paul. "I don't believe it is, but Barry does!"

The duo came up with the idea for Spooky Goings On last November/December. "We were about to do our pantomime, and we always do a haunted house or haunted bedroom in the panto and in our own shows, so we decided to expand on it for the 2001 show," says Paul.

The brothers, part of a South Yorkshire showbusiness family of eight, started performing together in 1963. They changed their name to the Chuckle Brothers in 1979 and began their Chucklevision television show in 1989, and still they enjoy rising to the challenge of putting together fresh comic routines.

"A show comes together quite easily once you've got the idea for it: it's thinking up the idea that's the hardest thing," Paul says.

"Over the years, we've done shows involving an army camp and a deserted island, and this new one is probably the weirdest one so far."

Next Wednesday, audiences will encounter not only Paul and Barry but two popular characters from their television shows, Get Out Of It and No Slacking, who in this story line runs the hotel. A creepy butler with long black hair will be appearing too, adding to the "weirdness".

Weird the show may be, but apparently Spooky Goings On is a new peak for the Chuckle Brothers. "People are saying it's the best show we've done, and we feel it's our best," says Paul. "All the kids love it, even grown-up kids: they like a bit of a shock, don't they!"

The Chuckle Brothers in Spooky Goings On, Grand Opera House, York, April 11, 2pm and 5pm. Tickets: £7.50; ring 01904 671818.