Little Britain Characters - C - Sir Bernard Chumley

Sir Bernard Chumley

Played by: Matt Lucas
Appearances: Radio Show; Series 1, episodes 3, 5 and 7
Catchphrases: "Yes I heard it, Kitty!"

Sir Bernard Chumley is a faded actor living in 'Sandy Toksvig House' who looks after his sister, Kitty (evidently against his own will), who is disabled after an accident. Bernard is adamant that he isn't responsible for her disability, often telling guests of his innocence even if he hasn't been asked, implying that he had been responsible for her disability.

In the first sketch in which he appears, Bernard invites a young actor, who has written to him, (Christian Coulson) over to his flat. He then attempts to seduce him, implying that he is homosexual. This is supported by the fact that he has many photographs of young male actors stuck to his wall. Throughout this sketch, he offers the young man various finger foods. He also says that he found the incident in which his sister lost the use of her legs amusing, and insists that he didn't cause the accident.

In his second sketch, he is visited by his local Meals on Wheels, who are bringing Kitty her daily meal. When talking about how nice the food was, he talks in the first person before hastily adding: "Kitty said" or "She added". As the lady is leaving, he tells her that the food is "a bit dry" and she catches him in the act of eating the food.

In his final sketch, undertakers come to his door to take away the body of Kitty, who has apparently died. However, they then discover she is not really dead and he begs them to "take her anyway". They refuse and he unhappily continues to take care of her.

The character of Chumley is probably the oldest Little Britain character, having appeared in a live-stage show in the early 1990s, his own six-part television series in the late 1990s called "Sir Bernard's Stately Homes", and a cameo in Shooting Stars.