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Happiness

‘Amazing memorabilia from the maestro of Knotty Ash!’ 150 150 mhamer

‘Amazing memorabilia from the maestro of Knotty Ash!’

The late Sir Ken Dodd is being remembered with a special exhibiton of memorabilia in his hometown of Liverpool.

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

Don’t forget that Jimmy Cricket’s autobiography is on sale.
Memoirs Of An Irish Comedian is priced at £11.99 as a paperback.

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

From bingo caller to 50 Golden Years in showbiz!

 

Sir Ken Dodd: Jimmy Cricket pays tribute 150 150 mhamer

Sir Ken Dodd: Jimmy Cricket pays tribute

The BBC called Sir Ken Dodd a comedy legend

The BBC described Sir Ken as “one of the most popular comedians of his time”

Jimmy Cricket paid tribute to his close friend and fellow comedian Sir Ken Dodd who has died aged 90.

Liverpool legend Sir Ken, creator of the Diddy Men, had recently been released from hospital after six weeks of treatment for a chest infection.

Only days before his death – announced this morning (Monday) – he married Anne Jones, his partner of 40 years, at their house in the Liverpool suburb of Knotty Ash.

‘Comforted’

Said Jimmy: “Sir Ken Dodd was not only our greatest ever stand-up comedian but a genuinely nice man.”

Replying to the tribute, which Jimmy posted on his Twitter account, entertainer Bernie Clifton said: “A World without Ken Dodd is a poorer, darker place. What a Man, I’ve lost a good friend. RIP Sir.”

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said a book of condolence would open later on Monday.

He tweeted: “We are comforted by the joy and happiness he brought the world.”

Actress and fellow Liverpudlian Claire Sweeney posted her own tribute on Twitter (below) and included photos from Sir Ken’s 90th birthday party in the city.

Fellow Liverpudlian and actress Claire Sweeney shared some photos of the star's 90th birthday party on Twitter

Jimmy was among those to pay tribute to his friend and fellow entertainer Sir Ken when he was honoured with a lifetime achievement award in October.

Sir Ken received the accolade in front of a star-studded audience at the British Music Hall Society event at the Lansdowne Club in central London.

He was famous for his very long stand-up shows, which sometimes lasted until the early hours of the morning, along with his Diddy Men from Knotty Ash and his tickling stick.

The son of a coal merchant, Sir Ken had been a comedian since 1954 and made it into the Guinness Book of Records for telling 1,500 jokes in three-and-a-half hours.

He was famous for his very long stand-up shows, along with his Diddy Men from Knotty Ash and his tickling stick.

Signature song

The son of a coal merchant, Sir Ken had been a comedian since 1954 and 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.

He was famous for his very long stand-up shows, which sometimes lasted until the early hours of the morning, along with his Diddy Men from Knotty Ash and his tickling stick.

The son of a coal merchant, Sir Ken had been a comedian since 1954 and 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, and his version of Bill Anderson’s Happiness, which reached 31 in the charts in 1964, became his signature song.

‘Absolutely amazing’

His recording of Tears topped the UK singles chart for five weeks in 1965, becoming the biggest hit single in Britain that year and selling more than a million copies in the UK alone, where it was the third best selling song of the 1960s and is the 39th top selling single of all time.

His recording of Tears topped the UK singles chart for five weeks in 1965, becoming the biggest hit single in Britain that year and selling more than a million copies in the UK alone, where it was the third best selling song of the 1960s and is the 39th top selling single of all time.

Sir Ken was also a ventriloquist and an established singer. He had many recording hits, charting on 18 occasions in the UK Top 40, and his version of Bill Anderson’s Happiness, which reached 31 in the charts in 1964, became his signature song.

His recording of Tears topped the UK singles chart for five weeks in 1965, becoming the biggest hit single in Britain that year and selling more than a million copies in the UK alone, where it was the third best selling song of the 1960s and is the 39th top selling single of all time.

His publicist Robert Holmes said: “To my mind, he was one of the last music hall greats. He passed away in the home that he was born in over 90 years ago. He’s never lived anywhere else. It’s absolutely amazing.”