| Sir Ken Dodd OBE | |
|---|---|
 Dodd with his "tickling sticks" in 2007 | |
| Birth name | Kenneth Arthur Dodd |
| Born | (1927-11-08)8 November 1927 Knotty Ash,Liverpool, England |
| Died | 11 March 2018(2018-03-11) (aged 90) Knotty Ash, Liverpool, England |
| Resting place | Allerton Cemetery,Allerton, Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| Medium |
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| Years active | 1954–2017 |
| Genres | |
| Spouse | |
Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an Englishcomedian, actor and singer. He was described as "the last greatmusic hall entertainer" and was primarily known for his livestand-up performances.
A lifelong resident of theKnotty Ash neighbourhood ofLiverpool, Dodd's career as an entertainer started in the mid-1950s. His performances included rapid and incessant delivery of often surreal jokes, and would run for several hours, frequently past midnight. His verbal and physical comedy was supplemented by his red, white, and blue "tickling stick"prop, although these could change for occasions such as St Patricks Day where he would choose a green, white and orange pair, and often introduced by his characteristic upbeat greeting of "How tickled I am!" He interspersed comedy with songs, both serious and humorous, and with his original speciality,ventriloquism. He also had several hit singles primarily as a ballad singer in the 1960s, and occasionally appeared in dramatic roles. He performed on radio and television and popularised the characters of theDiddy Men.
Dodd wasknighted in the2017 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity. His stage career lasted for over 60 years, and he continued to perform until the end of 2017. He died on 11 March 2018, at the age of 90.
Dodd was born on 8 November 1927 in a former farmhouse inKnotty Ash, a suburb ofLiverpool, to Arthur Dodd and Sarah (née Gray).[1] He had an older brother, William and a younger sister, June.[1] He went to the Knotty Ash School, and sang in the local church choir ofSt John's Church, Knotty Ash. He was to live in Knotty Ash all his life, dying in the house in which he was born, and often referred to the area—as well as its mythical "jam butty mines" and "black pudding plantations"—in his act.[2][3] During the Second World War he was evacuated with his school to Shrewsbury, where he attendedthe Priory Grammar School for Boys.[4][5] He was also evacuated to the village of Penmachno, nearBetws y Coed, where he attended the local village school and learnt Welsh.[6]
He then attendedHolt High School, agrammar school inChildwall, Liverpool, but left at the age of 14 to work for his father, a coal merchant.[7][8] Around this time he became interested inshow business after seeing an advert in acomic: "Fool your teachers, amaze your friends—send6d in stamps and become a ventriloquist!"[9] and sending off for the book. Not long after, his father bought him a ventriloquist's dummy and Ken called it Charlie Brown. He started entertaining at the local orphanage, then at various other local community functions. His distinctivebuck teeth were the result of a cycling accident after a group of school friends dared him to ride a bicycle with his eyes closed.[2] Aged 18, he began working as a travelling salesman, and used his work van to travel to comedy clubs in the evenings.[10]
Before becoming a full-time professional performer, mostly on stage, his first known appearance on radio was inVariety Fanfare (producer:Ronnie Taylor, venue:Hulme Hippodrome) made by the BBC in Manchester in 1950–1952.[11][12]
He said he gained his big break at age 26 when, in September 1954, he made his professional show-business debut as Professor Yaffle Chucklebutty, Operatic Tenor and Sausage Knotter at theNottingham Empire. He later said, "Well at least they didn't boo me off".[13][14]
He continued to tour variety theatres up and down the UK, and in 1955 he appeared atBlackpool, where, in the following year, he had a part inLet's Have Fun. His performance at theCentral Pier was part of a comedy revue withJimmy James and Company. Also on the same bill wereJimmy Clitheroe andRoy Castle.[15] Dodd first gained top billing at Blackpool in 1958.[16]
Dodd was described as "the last greatmusic hall entertainer".[17] Hisstand-up comedy style was fast and relied on the rapid delivery ofone-liner jokes. He said that his comic influences included other Liverpool comedians likeArthur Askey,Robb Wilton,Tommy Handley and the "cheeky chappy" fromBrighton,Max Miller.[18]
In a radio interview in 2002 he recalled how he was very happy to meetMax Miller while they were performing on the same radio show recorded live atHulme Hippodrome (probably,The Show Goes On, 1955) saying: “I once had the honour of being on the same bill, on the radio show as Max Miller, ‘the' Max Miller, the man, the grand-daddy of all comedians, was on that bill and I was on with Max Miller and he was a lovely man. Very happy days, the Hulme Hippodrome.”[19]
He interspersed the comedy with occasional songs, both serious and humorous, in an incongruously fine light baritone voice, and with his original speciality, ventriloquism.[20] Part of his stage act featured the Diddy Men ("diddy" being Scouse slang for "small"). At first an unseen joke conceived as part of Dodd's imagination, they later appeared on stage, usually played by children or puppets.[21]
Dodd worked mainly as a solo comedian, including in a number of eponymous television and radio shows and made fifteen appearances on BBC TV's music hall revival show,The Good Old Days.[22] Although he enjoyed making people laugh, he was also a serious student of comedy and history, and was interested inSigmund Freud andHenri Bergson's analysis of humour.[10] Occasionally, he appeared in dramatic roles, includingMalvolio inWilliam Shakespeare'sTwelfth Night on stage inLiverpool in 1971; on television in the cameo role of 'The Tollmaster' in the 1987Doctor Who storyDelta and the Bannermen; as Yorick (in silent flashback) inKenneth Branagh'sfilm version of Shakespeare'sHamlet in 1996; and as Mr.Mouse in the 1999 television movie adaptation ofAlice in Wonderland.[23] Marking Dodd's ninetieth birthday, an appreciation byGuardian theatre criticMichael Billington noted that "Ken has done just about everything: annual Blackpool summer seasons, pantomimes, nationwide tours, TV and radio. He was a very fine Malvolio."[24]
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Dodd was renowned for the length of his performances, and during the 1960s he earned a place inThe Guinness Book of Records for the world's longest ever joke-telling session: 1,500 jokes in three-and-a-half hours (7.14 jokes per minute), undertaken at theRoyal Court Theatre, Liverpool, where audiences entered the show in shifts.[25]
Dodd appeared in manyRoyal Variety Performances. The last was in 2006, in front ofPrince Charles and his wifeCamilla, at theLondon Coliseum.[26]
Dodd toured frequently throughout his professional career, performing lengthy shows into his eighties, that often did not finish until after midnight. In his final year, he continued to tour the UK extensively, with his comedy, music and variety show. His final performance was on 28 December 2017 at the Echo Arena Auditorium in Liverpool.[27] He said the secret of his success was simply, "I love what I do".[28]
Dodd had many hit records, charting on 18 occasions in theUK Top 40, including his first single "Love Is Like a Violin" (1960), produced onDecca Records byAlex Wharton, which charted at number 8 (UK). His version ofBill Anderson's song "Happiness" charted in 1964 and became Dodd's signature song.[29]
Dodd's recording of "Tears" on theColumbia label topped theUK singles chart for five weeks in 1965,[30] becoming the biggest hit single in Britain that year and selling over a million copies in the UK alone. The recording was the third-highest selling song of the 1960s in Britain;[31] at the time it was the UK's biggest selling single by a solo artist,[32] and remains one of the biggest selling singles of all time. Dodd was selected to perform the song onA Jubilee of Music onBBC One on 31 December 1976, a celebration of the key pop successes ofthe Queen's first 25 years as Britain's monarch.
Dodd had two further UK top ten records: "The River (Le Colline Sono In Fiore)", written byRenato Angiolini with lyrics byMort Shuman (number 3, 1965); and "Promises", written byNorman Newell andTom Springfield (number 6, 1966).[30] As well as his successful chart career as a ballad singer, Dodd occasionally released comedynovelty records, including the 1965EPDoddy and the Diddy Men, featuring the song "Where's Me Shirt?" which Dodd co-wrote.[33]
In the 1960s, his fame in the UK was such that he rivalledthe Beatles as a household name, and his records have sold millions worldwide.[23]
In 2021, Ken Dodd's recording of "Love is Like a Violin" was featured in the Walt Disney filmCruella.
In 1989, Dodd was charged with tax evasion. The ensuing trial, with the prosecution case led byBrian Leveson QC, produced several revelations. TheDiddy Men, who had appeared in his stage act, were often played by local children from stage schools and were revealed never to have been paid. Dodd was also revealed to have very little money in his bank account, having £336,000 in cash (equivalent to £1,055,868 in 2023) stashed in suitcases in his attic. When asked by the judge, "What does £100,000 in a suitcase feel like?", Dodd replied, "The notes are very light, M'Lord."[34]
He also said: "I am not mean, but I am nervous of money, nervous of having it, nervous of not having it" and described money as "important only because I have nothing else".[35]
Dodd was represented byGeorge Carman QC, who in court quipped, "Some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants".[36] He described Dodd as "a fantasist stamped with lifelong eccentricities."[35] The trial lasted three weeks; Dodd was acquitted.[36]
Despite the strain of the trial, Dodd immediately capitalised on his new-found notoriety with a successful season running fromEaster toChristmas 1990 at theLondon Palladium. It was there he had previously broken the house record for the longest comedy season at the theatre, in 1965, with a residency lasting 42 weeks. Some of his subsequent material mocked the trial and tax in general. For a while, he introduced his act with the words, "Good evening, my name is Kenneth Arthur Dodd; singer, photographic playboy, and failed accountant!"[37] Dodd also made a joke that whenincome tax was introduced it was a mere 2p in every £1 earned, followed by the punchline "I thought it still was!"[38]
He was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1982 New Year Honours for services to show business and charity and wasknighted in the2017 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity.[39] The award was formally conferred byPrince William, Duke of Cambridge in a ceremony atBuckingham Palace on 2 March 2017.[40]
In 1993, Dodd won Top Variety Entertainer and was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award atITV'sBritish Comedy Awards.[41] In 1994, Dodd appeared in the TV specialAn Audience with Ken Dodd. The show was a success and introduced him to a younger audience.[14] Dodd later became one of a select few to be given a second show, entitledAnother Audience with Ken Dodd and originally broadcast in 2002.[42]
He was made aFreeman of the City of Liverpool in 2001.[43]
In a 2005 poll of comedians and comedy insiders to find the 'Comedians' Comedian', Dodd was voted amongst the 'Top 50 Comedy Acts Ever', ranked as number 36.[44] He was made anhonorary fellow ofLiverpool John Moores University in 1997. A statue depicting Dodd with his trademark "Tickling Stick" was unveiled inLiverpool Lime Street railway station in June 2009. It was temporarily removed in 2017 for renovation works.[45]
Dodd was inducted into the exclusive show business fraternity, theGrand Order of Water Rats.[46]
Dodd was awarded the honorary degree ofDoctor of Letters from theUniversity of Chester at a graduation ceremony in 2009 inChester Cathedral.[47] He was awarded a Doctorate of Letters atLiverpool Hope University in 2010 during the university's Foundation Day celebrations.[48]
In 2016, Dodd was awarded theAardmanSlapstick Comedy Legend Award, a recognition of his lifetime's contribution to the world of comedy. He received the award as part of theSlapstick Festival in Bristol.[49]
Dodd's relationships with women lasted for decades; Dodd's biographer Stephen Griffin wrote: "As ever, despite the blossoming romance, there was to be no talk of marriage... he thought that marriage could lead to complacency in a relationship, and caused some couples to stop putting in any effort."[50] In 1955, Dodd began a 22-year relationship with Anita Boutin;[51] they were engaged at the time of her death from a brain tumour in 1977, at the age of 45.[35][52] Shortly after her death, Dodd began a relationship with Anne Jones, which lasted from 1978 until his death. They had first met in 1961 when Jones appeared inThe Ken Dodd Christmas Show at theManchester Opera House. Dodd married Jones on 9 March 2018, two days before his death.[35][53]
Dodd was a supporter of theConservative Party and campaigned forMargaret Thatcher in the1979 general election. In the last rally, atWembley Arena, he introduced her onto the stage.[54]
Dodd said that one of his biggest regrets in life was that he never had children. It was widely reported that he and Anne Jones were unable to conceive naturally.[55] During his 1989 trial details of his personal life surfaced in the media, including revelations that he and Anne had undergone several failed rounds of IVF treatment in an attempt to start a family.[56]
In October 2001, a stalker - Ruth Tagg - harassed Dodd and Jones by sending them threatening letters and a dead rat; also appearing on the front row at almost all of his live shows during this time. She also attempted to burn down their house by pushing burning rags through the letterbox causing £11,000 worth of damage to the ground floor. Tagg pleaded guilty toharassment andarson atPreston Crown Court in 2003.[57]
Dodd died aged 90, on 11 March 2018, at his home in Knotty Ash, the same home in which he was born and raised, soon after being hospitalised for six weeks with a chest infection.[58] He had been touring with his stand-up stage show up until the end of 2017. Numerous stars paid tribute, including fellow LiverpudlianPaul McCartney.[59]At his funeral on 28 March, which was led by theBishop of Liverpool,Paul Bayes, thousands of fans joined the cortege which passed from his Knotty Ash home toLiverpool Cathedral. The service was attended by actorsRicky Tomlinson,Stephanie Cole andMiriam Margolyes, comediansJimmy Tarbuck,Stan Boardman,Roy Chubby Brown, andJimmy Cricket, and television executiveMichael Grade. After the service, Dodd was laid to rest - alongside both his parents - in a private burial service atAllerton Cemetery in Liverpool. Tickling sticks were placed on various statues around Liverpool in commemoration. AtLiverpool Town Hall,St George's Hall, theCunard Building andLiverpool Central Library, flags were lowered to pay respect.[60]
Theatre criticMichael Coveney declared in his appreciation forThe Stage: "Ken Dodd was the greatest live performer I ever saw on stage anywhere."[61]
In the December 2018 BBC TV retrospective,How Tickled We Were, the comic's biographerMichael Billington ranked Dodd alongsideLord Olivier as one of "the two theatrical geniuses of the British stage" in the writer's own lifetime. In the same broadcast, fellow Liverpudlian and comedian Jimmy Tarbuck declared Dodd "the greatest stage comic the country has ever seen".[62]
In October 2020, Dodd'sheadstone wasvandalised withgraffiti.[63]
In September 2022, Lady Dodd endowed stained-glass windows at St Anne's Church,Old Swan, in memory of her husband.[64]
Ken Dodd had numerous television shows and specials over 60 years, including:
Dodd also appeared in many other programmes, as an actor, performer, or as himself. Appearances include:
| Title | Release date | Chart position UK Singles[96] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Love Is Like a Violin" | 7 July 1960 | 8 | |
| "Once in Every Lifetime" | 15 June 1961 | 28 | |
| "Pianissimo" | 1 February 1962 | 21 | |
| "Still" | 29 August 1963 | 35 | |
| "Eight by Ten" | 6 February 1964 | 22 | |
| "Happiness" | 23 July 1964 | 31 | |
| "So Deep Is the Night" | 26 November 1964 | 31 | |
| "Tears" | 2 September 1965 | 1 | Sold over 1.5 million copies; 39th best-selling single of all time in the UK |
| "The River (Le colline sono in fiore)" | 18 November 1965 | 3 | withGeoff Love and his Orchestra |
| "Promises" | 12 May 1966 | 6 | |
| "More Than Love" | 4 August 1966 | 14 | |
| "It's Love" | 27 October 1966 | 36 | |
| "Let Me Cry on Your Shoulder" | 19 January 1967 | 11 | |
| "Tears Won't Wash Away These Heartaches" | 30 July 1969 | 22 | |
| "Brokenhearted" | 5 December 1970 | 15 | |
| "When Love Comes Round Again (L'arca di Noè)" | 10 July 1971 | 19 | |
| "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)" | 18 November 1972 | 29 | |
| "Think of Me (Wherever You Are)" | 29 November 1975 | 21 | |
| "Hold My Hand" | 26 December 1981 | 44 |
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| National | |
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