The late Sir Ken Dodd is being remembered with a special exhibiton of memorabilia in his hometown of Liverpool.
Sir Ken, who died at the age of 90 in March 2018, was a famous comedian and singer.
He often did very long stand-up shows, which sometimes lasted until the early hours of the morning.
People will also remember him fondly for his Diddy Men from Knotty Ash (where he was born and died) and his tickling stick.
The Museum of Liverpool exhibition, entitled Happiness!, celebrates his life and career.
It runs from Saturday (9 September) to 3 March 2024.
The website promoting the event says: “Ken’s unique blend of whimsical, physical, surreal and theatrical humour transformed the UK’s comedy scene.
‘Natural gift for making people laugh’
“Using memorabilia from Ken Dodd’s personal archive, this show will explore Ken’s career and how his comedic approach continues to be used and adopted by some of the UK’s most well-known and emerging comedians.
“Fondly remembered for the magical world he created, including Ken Dodd’s Diddymen, his tickling stick and the jam butty mines, his true passion was his natural gift for making people laugh.
“The exhibition will build on Ken’s passion, looking at the science of comedy, happiness and why laughter is good for our health.”
You can book tickets here for the exhibition.
Fellow funnyman Jimmy Cricket, a very good friend of Ken’s, highlighted the event on social media.
He said: “Hi folks. Opening soon is the ‘Happiness Exhibition’ dedicated to one of the greatest comics who ever graced the stage.
“Running till March 2024, why not pop along and see some amazing memorabilia from the maestro of Knotty Ash!”
Signature song
The son of a coal merchant, Ken Dodd had been a comedian since 1954.
He made it into the Guinness Book of Records for telling 1,500 jokes in three-and-a-half hours.
Sir Ken was also a ventriloquist and an established singer.
He had many recording hits, charting on 18 occasions in the UK Top 40.
His version of Bill Anderson’s Happiness, which reached 31 in the charts in 1964, became his signature song.
And his recording of Tears topped the UK singles chart for five weeks in 1965.
It was the biggest hit single in Britain that year, selling more than one million copies in the UK alone.
Autobiography
It is also available as an ebook priced £9.99 (unless you have subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, in which case it is free).
Amazon Kindle allows users to read ebooks purchased on Amazon.
Jimmy has said he is happy to sign copies of the book at his live shows, where they are available for a discounted price of £10.
The autobiography tells the heart-warming story of his 50 golden years in showbusiness – told in his own words.
Recognisable for wearing a funny hat and green wellies marked L and R on the wrong feet, Jimmy has been making people laugh as a professional comedian for half a century.
And he proudly keeps his comedy clean – increasingly rare these days – making him the perfect family entertainer.
The book is available from online retailer Amazon here.
Mary’s Meals
His best-known catchphrases include ‘And there’s more!’ and ‘Come closer!’
He is also famed for reading out Letters from his Mammy, which have provided the material for two published books.
One pound from the sale of every book goes to Mary’s Meals.
The charity supports feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education.
Also read: Mary’s Meals: 20 years serving global communities
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