No joke: Rotherham's Paul Chuckle will still be grafting into his 80s

At 79, Rotherham's Paul Chuckle is showing no signs of putting his feet up, with a theatre diary that stretches right through to Spring 2028.

The much-loved entertainer has landed roles in two major productions, taking him from the National Theatre to stages across the country and proving that, decades after he first became a household name, the showbusiness world still wants a piece of him.

First, Paul will spend Christmas entertaining audiences in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, a northern kitchen-sink drama, playing Mr Boo at London's National Theatre from December 2 until January 23, 2027.

Then comes a whistle-stop tour of the production, including Newcastle, Coventry, Salford, Canterbury, Wolverhampton and Plymouth, as well as a welcome return to South Yorkshire at Sheffield's Lyceum Theatre from February 9 to 13.

And that is just the start.

Paul has also been cast as Monsignor O'Hara in Sister Act: The Musical, which launches its UK and Ireland tour in September 2027.

The show heads to Sunderland, Sheffield, Bradford, Manchester and Southend before reaching Birmingham in December, where the engagement runs into January 2028.

Cardiff follows from January 10 to 15, with further stops in Nottingham, Brighton, Dartford, Plymouth, Hull and Southampton.

The tour then crosses to Northern Ireland for dates in Belfast and Londonderry before finishing its currently announced run in Oxford on March 25, 2028.

It seems quite an energy-sapping run for a man who has already given generations of viewers a lifetime of laughs.

And while the published dates are theatre engagement periods rather than a guarantee Paul will appear in every performance, they underline just how much stage work he has lined up, just a year away from his 80th birthday.

Christmas, of course, is familiar territory for the Chuckle Brothers' legend.

Paul and his late brother Barry built a strong association with pantomime, bringing their trademark comedy to theatres around the country.

Their appeal went far beyond television, with generations of families enjoying their live performances during the festive season.

Paul has continued the tradition in recent years, appearing in Peter Pan in Woking in 2023 and Nottingham in 2024, followed by Beauty and the Beast at Hull New Theatre in 2025.

For fans in his home town and beyond, the message is a heartening one: Paul is still getting the calls, taking on new roles and looks far from ready to take his final bow.