CULT comic Roy "Chubby" Brown is ready to tackle television hosts Ant and Dec with his own World Cup anthem.

Rock band Hooper - Chubby's touring group who open his shows - reckon that they are about to score a big hit with their song, Half Way Round the World, which features rap vocals by the comedian.

The Teesside-born funnyman recorded the track just days before he went into hospital for a throat cancer operation.

And while Chubby is normally more used to "singing the blues", there is not a single rude word on the record, which is released ironically on a label called Holier Than Thou.

The song is proving a hit with Chubby's fans in pubs and clubs, and Hooper played it live to Ant and Dec and other World Cup recording artists at a celebrity soccer event at Liverpool's Anfield ground.

"It could be a case of bye, bye Ali G and hello Chubby B," said Chubby, who is recuperating at home near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

The last time Chubby hit the charts was nearly seven years ago, when he had a top three hit with the band Smokie, performing an adapted version of their old single, Living Next Door to Alice.