Ken Dodd
Born	Kenneth Arthur Dodd November 08, 1927 (1927-11-08) (age 80) Knotty Ash, Liverpool
Nationality	British
Occupation	Comedian

Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE (born 8 November 1927, in Knotty Ash, Liverpool), better known as Ken Dodd, is a veteran English comedian and singer, famous for selling over 100 million records, his buck teeth, frizzy hair, feather duster (or "tickling stick"), and his catchphrases, often playing on the 'tickled' motif, e.g. "How tickled I am!". He works mainly in the music hall tradition, although, in the past, has occasionally appeared in drama, including as Malvolio in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night on stage in Liverpool in 1971; on television in the cameo role of 'The Tollmaster' in the 1987 Doctor Who story Delta and the Bannermen; and as Yorick (in silent flashback) in Kenneth Branagh's film version of Shakespeare's Hamlet in 1996. If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Knotty Ash is an area of Liverpool and a Liverpool City Council Ward. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Knotty Ash is an area of Liverpool and a Liverpool City Council Ward. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A feather duster dusting a table. ... Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. ... Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Twelfth Night has at least three meanings: Twelfth Night (holiday), celebrated by some Christians Twelfth Night, or What You Will, a comedic play by William Shakespeare Twelfth Night (band), a progressive rock band This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... For other uses, see Doctor Who (disambiguation). ... Delta and the Bannermen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from November 2 to November 16, 1987. ... Kenneth Charles Branagh (born December 10, 1960) is an Emmy Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated Northern Irish-born actor and film director. ... For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). ...

Style, career and achievement

His comedy style is fast and furious, relying on a rapid delivery of a huge number of one-liner jokes. He intersperses the comedy with occasional songs, both serious and humorous, in a light baritone voice. Dodd has had many recording hits, charting on 19 occasions in the UK Top 40, including his first single Love Is Like A Violin (1960), produced on Decca by Alex Wharton, which charted at number 8 (UK), and his song Tears, which topped the UK charts for five weeks in 1965, selling over two million copies. This remains one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the United Kingdom. It was also during the 1960s that Dodd entered the Guinness Book of Records, for the world's longest joke-telling session ever: 1,500 jokes in three and a half hours, undertaken at a Liverpool theatre, where audiences were observed to enter the show in shifts. Most recently, Ken Dodd appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in 2006 in front of Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, where he reprised some of his famous jokes, including those about tax, accountants as well as singing his famous song "Happiness". A one-liner is a joke that is delivered in a single line. ... The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the music industry. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... Alex Wharton (born 1939) later also known as Alex Murray formed a singing duo with Micky Most when they both worked in the famous 2Is coffee bar in Londons Soho. ... Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World, Brampton. ... The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held in the United Kingdom once each year, and often in a theatre in Londons West End although it is increasingly being held outside of London. ... “Prince Charles” redirects here. ... Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla Rosemary; formerly Parker Bowles; née Shand, born 17 July 1947) is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the thrones of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth Realms. ...

Personal life

Ken Dodd was born on the 8th November 1927 in Knotty Ash on the outskirts of Liverpool, son of a coal merchant, Arthur Dodd and wife Sarah Dodd. He went to the Knotty Ash School, and sang in the local church choir of St. Johns Church, Knotty Ash. At the age of seven, he was dared by his school friends to ride his bike with his eyes shut.....and he did, for about 10 feet and the bike hit the kerb. Ken went flying open-mouthed onto the tarmac, resulting in his famous teeth of today.

He then attended Holt High, a Grammar School in Childwall. Around this time he became interested in showbiz after seeing an advert in a comic entitled; "Fool Your Teachers, Amaze Your Friends - Send 6d in Stamps and Become a Ventriloquist!" 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. A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom. ... Childwall is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside and a Liverpool City Council Ward. ...

He got his big break at the age of 27. In September 1954 he appeared at the Nottingham Playhouse. A nervous young man, he sat in a local Milk Bar for most of the afternoon going over and over his lines before going to the theatre. Although he can't remember much of the actual act of that night. He did recall, "Well at least they didn't boo me off". But there wasn't much fear of that, as Dodd's act went from strength to strength, eventually topping the bill at Blackpool in 1958. The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Ken Dodd's personal life has not been without incident. He was charged with tax evasion in 1989. The subsequent trial led to several revelations. This included details about the Diddy Men, who had appeared in his stage act, often played by local children from stage schools, who were revealed to have never been paid. Dodd was also revealed to have very little money in his bank account, having £336,000 in cash stashed in suitcases in his attic. When asked by the judge, "What does a hundred thousand pounds in a suitcase feel like?", Dodd made his now famous reply, "The notes are very light, M'Lord." ^[1] This article contrasts tax evasion, tax avoidance, tax resistance and tax mitigation. ... The Diddy Men are a creation of the British comedian Ken Dodd. ...

Dodd was represented by George Carman, who in court famously quipped, "Some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants".^[2] The trial lasted nearly three months: Dodd was acquitted.^[2] George Carman (6 October 1929 – 2 January 2001), a leading barrister (lawyer) of the 1980s and 1990s, first came to prominence when he successfully defended the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe when he was charged with attempted murder. ...

Despite the strain of the trial, Dodd immediately capitalized on his new-found notoriety with a successful season running from Easter to Christmas 1990 at the London 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 forty-two weeks. Some of his current material mocks 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!"^[3] The London Palladium in 2004 The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. ...

Ken Dodd has had two long-time fiancées, but has never married. A stalker, Ruth Tagg, who harassed Dodd and his girlfriend Anne Jones, sending threatening letters and a dead rat, attempted to burn down his house by pushing burning rags through the letterbox, in October 2001. Tagg pleaded guilty to harassment and arson at Preston Crown Court.^[4]

Legacy

More recently. the focus has been on Ken Dodd's continuing legacy as one of the UK's finest comedy performers. In December 2004, Dodd was in Nottingham to be presented with a framed playbill after a sell out performance at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham to celebrate his 50 years in show business. Dodd's first professional performance was on stage at the Empire Theatre, Nottingham in 1954. For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ...

Dodd is the last of the music hall comics, and is well regarded by his comedy peers. In a 2005 poll of comedians and comedy insiders to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted amongst the 'Top 50 Comedy Acts Ever', ranked as number 36. Dodd is also famed for his meticulous recording of every performance, cross-referencing the place he was performing, the jokes he has used, and the reception they received, so as to hone his act to near-perfection for each audience. He once was said to have commented that first house on a Glasgow Friday night was the hardest audience in the UK. Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ...

UK chart singles

• "Love Is Like A Violin" (1960)
• "Once In Every Lifetime" (1961)
• "Pianissimo (1962)
• "Still" (1963)
• "Eight By Ten" (1964)
• "Happiness" (1964)
• "So Deep Is The Night" (1964)
• "Tears" (1965, number 1 hit and sold over a million copies, and is in the top 20 of the most sold songs in the UK)
• "The River (Le Colline Sono In Fioro)" (1965)
• "Where's Me Shirt"
• "Promises" (1966)
• "More Than Love" (1966)
• "It's Love" (1966)
• "Let Me Cry On Your Shoulder" (1967)
• "Tears Won't Wash Away These Heartaches" (1969)
• "Broken Hearted" (1970)
• "When Love Comes Round Again (L'arca di Noe)" (1971)
• "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)" (1972)
• "(Think Of Me) Wherever You Are" (1975)
• "Hold My Hand" (1981)

References

Ken appeared on Songs of Praise to celebrate his 80th Birthday on 4th Novemeber 2007. Pam Rhodes spoke to him and showed where he lived in his favourite city Liverpool , visiting the church in Knotty Ash where he was once a choir boy. Songs of Praise is a BBC television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. ... Pam Rhodes (born 22 September 1950 in Gillingham, Kent) is a British television presenter. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Knotty Ash is an area of Liverpool and a Liverpool City Council Ward. ...

External links

• Official Ken Dodd stage show website
• BBC Comedy - Ken Dodd
• Review of Ken Dodd show in Bournemouth 2007
• The Ken Dodd Story
• Ken Dodd at the Internet Movie Database