Editing Ken Dodd

{{Short description|English stand-up comedian and singer (1927–2018)}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox comedian 
| honorific-prefix = [[Sir]]
| name        = Ken Dodd
| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|OBE}}
| image       = KEN DODD.jpg{{!}}border
| caption     = Dodd with his "tickling sticks" in 2007
| birth_name  = Kenneth Arthur Dodd
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1927|11|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Knotty Ash]], [[Liverpool]], England
| death_date  = {{death date and age|2018|3|11|1927|11|8|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Knotty Ash]], [[Liverpool]], England
| years_active = 1954–2017
| resting_place = [[Allerton Cemetery]], [[Allerton, Liverpool|Allerton]], Liverpool, Merseyside, England
| spouse      = {{marriage|Anne Jones|9 March 2018<!--Year omitted per current Template:Marriage instructions-->}}
| medium      = {{hlist|Stand-up comedy|theatre|radio|television|music}}
| genre       = {{hlist|[[One-line joke|One-liners]]|[[music hall]]}}
}}
'''Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd''' (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English [[stand-up comedy|comedian]], actor and singer. He was described as "the last great [[music hall]] entertainer" and was primarily known for his live [[stand-up comedy|stand-up]] performances.

A lifelong resident of the [[Knotty Ash]] neighbourhood of [[Liverpool]], Dodd started his career as an entertainer 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 "[[Feather duster|tickling stick]]" [[Theatrical property|prop]], but these colours could change for occasions such as St Patrick's Day, when he would choose a green, white and orange pair. He often introduced the sticks with 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 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 the [[Diddy Men]].
 	
Dodd was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2017 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.

==Early life==
Dodd was born on 8 November 1927 in a former farmhouse in [[Knotty Ash]], a suburb of [[Liverpool]], to Arthur Dodd and Sarah (née Gray).<ref name="MT">{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/12/sir-ken-dodd-age-jokes-diddy-men-wife-anne-jones-house-knotty-ash-7380502/|title=Sir Ken Dodd age, jokes, Diddy Men, wife Anne Jones and house in Knotty Ash|publisher=Metro UK|date=12 March 2018|author=Duncan, Amy}}</ref> He had an older brother, William and a younger sister, June.<ref name="MT"/> He went to the Knotty Ash School, and sang in the local church choir of [[St John the Evangelist, Knotty Ash|St 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&mdash;as well as its mythical "[[Jam sandwich (food)|jam butty]] mines" and "[[black pudding]] plantations"&mdash;in his act.<ref name=bale/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/12/knotty-ash-location-ken-dodds-house-90-years-7380179/|title=Where is Knotty Ash – the location of Ken Dodd's house for 90 years|work=Metro|date=12 March 2018|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> During the Second World War he was evacuated with his school to Shrewsbury, where he attended [[The Priory Grammar School for Boys, Shrewsbury|the Priory Grammar School for Boys]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sunday Post|url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/so-what-was-life-like-in-christmas-1939-with-our-country-at-war/ |website=vchshropshire.org |date=25 December 2019 |access-date=8 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shropshire Star |date=3 February 2018 |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/nostalgia/2018/02/03/doddys-schooldays-tale-knocks-us-down-with-a-feather |access-date=8 November 2020}}</ref> He was also evacuated to the village of Penmachno, near [[Betws y Coed]], where he attended the local village school and learnt Welsh.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-17504458|title=When Ken Dodd learned Welsh: People's Collection Wales evacuee memories plea|date=25 March 2012|accessdate=22 April 2024|work=BBC News}}</ref>
[[File:Ken Dodd with Bear cubs 1968.jpg|thumb|Dodd with bear cubs at [[Flamingo Land Resort|Flamingo Park Zoo]], [[North Yorkshire]] in 1968]]

He then attended [[Childwall Academy|Holt High School]], a [[Grammar schools in the United Kingdom|grammar school]] in [[Childwall]], Liverpool, but left at the age of 14 to work for his father, a coal merchant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://life.spectator.co.uk/2018/03/ken-dodd-a-comic-genius-who-inspired-true-devotion/|title=Ken Dodd: a comic genius who inspired true devotion|publisher=Spectator Life|date=12 March 2018|author=Cook, William|access-date=21 March 2018|archive-date=21 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321131003/https://life.spectator.co.uk/2018/03/ken-dodd-a-comic-genius-who-inspired-true-devotion/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Ken Dodd Story">{{cite web|url=http://www.chucklebutty.co.uk/doddbio.html|title=The Ken Dodd Story|website=Chucklebutty.co.uk|access-date=20 November 2007}}</ref> Around this time he became interested in [[showbusiness|show business]] after seeing an advert in a [[British comics|comic]]: "Fool your teachers, amaze your friends—send [[Sixpence (British coin)|6d]] in stamps and become a ventriloquist!"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/ken-dodd-12-funny-moments-defined-rib-tickling-career/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/ken-dodd-12-funny-moments-defined-rib-tickling-career/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sir Ken Dodd: the 12 funny moments that defined his rib-tickling career|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=12 March 2018|access-date=12 March 2018}}{{cbignore}}{{subscription required}}</ref> 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 distinctive [[Malocclusion|buck teeth]] were the result of a cycling accident after a group of school friends dared him to ride a bicycle with his eyes closed.<ref name=bale>{{cite news|url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/evergreen/20171122/283927408075441|title=Sir Ken Dodd at 90|work=Evergreen|first=Bernard|last=Bale|date=22 November 2017|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> Aged 18, he began working as a travelling salesman, and used his work van to travel to comedy clubs in the evenings.<ref name=stage/>

==Early career==
Before becoming a full-time professional performer, mostly on stage, his first known appearance on radio was in ''Variety Fanfare'' (producer: [[Ronnie Taylor (scriptwriter)|Ronnie Taylor]], venue: [[Hulme Hippodrome]]) made by the BBC in Manchester in 1950–1952.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barfe |first=Louis |title=Turned Out Nice Again: the story of British Light Entertainment |publisher=Atlantic Books |year=2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Barfe |first=Louis |title=Sunshine and Laughter: The story of Morecambe and Wise |publisher=Apollo Books |year=2021 |page=51}}</ref> 

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 the [[Nottingham]] Empire. He later said, "Well at least they didn't boo me off".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/content/articles/2005/01/14/entertainment_theatre_and_dance_features_amazing_facts_about_ken_dodd_feature.shtml |title= Ken Dodd: Twenty things you never knew |work= [[BBC Online]] |date= 6 July 2005 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071228182556/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/content/articles/2005/01/14/entertainment_theatre_and_dance_features_amazing_facts_about_ken_dodd_feature.shtml |archive-date= 28 December 2007}}</ref><ref name=bbcobit>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13360811|title=Obituary: Ken Dodd|work=BBC News|date=12 March 2018|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> 

He continued to tour variety theatres up and down the UK, and in 1955 he appeared at [[Blackpool]], where, in the following year, he had a part in ''Let's Have Fun''. His performance at the [[Central Pier, Blackpool|Central Pier]] was part of a comedy revue with [[Jimmy James (comedian)|Jimmy James]] and Company. Also on the same bill were [[Jimmy Clitheroe]] and [[Roy Castle]].<ref>Theatre Programme, Central Pier, Blackpool, 1956. Cyril Critchlow Collection, Blackpool Central Library, Vol. 38 p. 12.</ref> Dodd first gained top billing at Blackpool in 1958.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/whats-on/tv-and-film/looking-back-at-ken-dodd-s-love-of-blackpool-1-9058544|title=Looking back at Ken Dodd's love of Blackpool|newspaper=Blackpool Gazette|date=12 March 2018|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

==Comedy==
Dodd was described as "the last great [[music hall]] entertainer".<ref>{{cite news | title = Arise, Sir Ken | work = The Daily Telegraph | date = 31 December 2016 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/ken-dodd-retire-at-88-never | access-date = 9 January 2017| last1 = Cavendish | first1 = Dominic }}</ref>  His [[stand-up comedy]] style was fast and relied on the rapid delivery of [[one-liner joke]]s. He said that his comic influences included other Liverpool comedians like [[Arthur Askey]], [[Robb Wilton]], [[Tommy Handley]] and the "cheeky chappy" from [[Brighton]], [[Max Miller (comedian)|Max Miller]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2008/04/02/6598/the_men_who_tickled_me...|title=The men who tickled me...|publisher=Chortle.co.uk|date=2 April 2008|access-date=2 April 2008}}</ref> 

In a radio interview in 2002 he recalled how he was very happy to meet [[Max Miller (comedian)|Max Miller]] while they were performing on the same radio show recorded live at [[Hulme 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.”<ref>BBC Radio 4, Palace of Laughter, 2 April 2002.</ref> 

He interspersed the comedy with occasional songs, both serious and humorous, in an incongruously fine light baritone voice, and with his original speciality, ventriloquism.<ref>{{cite web | title = Ken Dodd | website = chortle.co.uk | publisher = Chortle | url = http://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/k/227/ken_dodd | access-date = 9 January 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/12/ken-dodds-diddy-men-7379944/?ito=cbshare|title=Who were Ken Dodd's Diddy Men|newspaper=Metro|date=12 March 2018|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

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 (UK TV series)|The Good Old Days]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06rhv2r/episodes/guide|title=The Good Old Days|publisher=BBC|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> Although he enjoyed making people laugh, he was also a serious student of comedy and history, and was interested in [[Sigmund Freud]] and [[Henri Bergson]]'s analysis of humour.<ref name=stage>{{cite news|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/2018/obituary-liverpool-comedian-ken-dodd/|title=Obituary: Liverpool comedian Ken Dodd|work=The Stage|date=12 March 2018|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref> Occasionally, he appeared in dramatic roles, including [[Malvolio]] in [[William 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]]''; as Yorick (in silent flashback) in [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s [[Hamlet (1996 film)|film version]] of Shakespeare's ''[[Hamlet]]'' in 1996; and as Mr. [[Mouse (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|Mouse]] in the 1999 television movie adaptation of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1999 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]''.<ref name=tickled/> Marking Dodd's ninetieth birthday, an appreciation by ''Guardian'' theatre critic [[Michael Billington (critic)|Michael 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."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/nov/04/ken-dodd-at-90-comedy-standup-liverpool| title=Ken Dodd at 90| work=The Guardian, 4 November 2017| date=4 November 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Ken Dodd, Civic Hall, Ellesmere Port (January 2006).jpg|right|thumb|upright|Dodd at the Civic Hall, [[Ellesmere Port]] in 2006. [[Stand-up comedy|Stand-up]] theatre work was the mainstay of his career.]]
Dodd was renowned for the length of his performances, and during the 1960s he earned a place in ''[[The 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 the [[Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool]], where audiences entered the show in shifts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/jul/22/top-10-record-breaking-comedians|title=Dedication's what you need: top 10 record-breaking comedians|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 July 2010|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

Dodd appeared in many [[Royal Variety Performance]]s. The last was in 2006, in front of [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]] and his wife [[Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|Camilla]], at the [[London Coliseum]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/12_december/05/variety.shtml|title=Jonathan Ross hosts Royal Variety Performance|publisher=BBC Press Office|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/mar/12/comedy-legend-sir-ken-dodd-dies-aged-90|title=Sir Ken Dodd, legend of comedy, dies aged 90|first1=Kevin|last1=Rawlinson|first2=Frances|last2=Perraudin|date=12 March 2018|website=The Guardian|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref> He said the secret of his success was simply, "I love what I do".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/ken-dodd-retire-at-88-never/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/ken-dodd-retire-at-88-never/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Ken Dodd on the art of making people happy: 'My secret? I love what I do'|first=Dominic|last=Cavendish|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=12 March 2018|access-date=13 March 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Music ==
Dodd had many hit records, charting on 18 occasions in the [[UK Top 40]], including his first single "Love Is Like a Violin" (1960), produced on [[Decca Records]] by [[Alex Wharton]], which charted at number 8 (UK). His version of [[Bill Anderson (singer)|Bill Anderson]]'s song "[[Happiness (Bill Anderson song)|Happiness]]" charted in 1964 and became Dodd's signature song.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/content/articles/2006/06/20/ken_dodd_1507_event_feature.shtml|title=Ken Dodd Happiness Show|work=BBC Hereford & Worcester|year=2006|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

Dodd's recording of  "[[Tears (Ken Dodd song)|Tears]]" on the [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]] label topped the [[UK singles chart]] for five weeks in 1965,<ref name="betts">{{cite book| first= Graham| last= Betts| year=2004| title= Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004| edition= 1st|publisher= Collins| location= London| isbn= 0-00-717931-6| page=228}}</ref>  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;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/7791739/Ken-Dodd-outsold-only-by-The-Beatles.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/7791739/Ken-Dodd-outsold-only-by-The-Beatles.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Ken Dodd: outsold only by The Beatles|date=1 June 2010|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=12 March 2018|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  at the time it was the UK's biggest selling single by a solo artist,<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited 
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 170}}</ref> and remains one of the biggest selling singles of all time. Dodd was selected to perform the song on ''[[A Jubilee of Music]]'' on [[BBC One]] on 31 December 1976, a celebration of the key pop successes of [[Elizabeth II|the 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 by [[Renato Angiolini]] with lyrics by [[Mort Shuman]] (number 3, 1965); and "Promises", written by [[Norman Newell]] and [[Tom Springfield]] (number 6, 1966).<ref name="betts"/>  As well as his successful chart career as a ballad singer, Dodd occasionally released comedy [[novelty record]]s, including the 1965 [[Extended play|EP]] ''Doddy and the Diddy Men'', featuring the song "Where's Me Shirt?" which Dodd co-wrote.<ref name=45cat>[http://www.45cat.com/record/seg8466 "Doddy and the Diddy Men", ''45cat.com'']. Retrieved 12 March 2018</ref>

In the 1960s, his fame in the UK was such that he rivalled [[the Beatles]] as a household name, and his records have sold millions worldwide.<ref name=tickled>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01phj0c |title=BBC Radio 2 – Ken Dodd: How Tickled I've Been |publisher=BBC |date=1 January 2013 |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref>

In 2021, Ken Dodd's recording of "Love is Like a Violin" was featured in the Walt Disney film ''[[Cruella (film)|Cruella]]''.

==Tax evasion court case==
In 1989, Dodd was charged with tax evasion. The ensuing trial, with the prosecution case led by [[Brian Leveson]] QC, produced several revelations. The [[Diddy 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 ({{Inflation|UK|336000|1989|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) 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."<ref name="men">{{cite news | url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/comedy/s/234/234894_dodds_bolton_bonus.html | work=Manchester Evening News | date=1 February 2007 | title=Dodd's Bolton bonus | first=Natalie |last=Anglesey}}</ref>  

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".<ref name="independentie"/>

Dodd was represented by [[George Carman]] QC, who in court quipped, "Some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants".<ref name="bbcgc">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1097749.stm | title=George Carman: The Bar's 'silver fox' | work=BBC News | date=2 January 2001}}</ref>  He described Dodd as "a fantasist stamped with lifelong eccentricities."<ref name="independentie"/> The trial lasted three weeks; Dodd was acquitted.<ref name="bbcgc" />

Despite the strain of the trial, Dodd immediately capitalised 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 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!"<ref name="guardian">{{cite news | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,1332768,00.html | work=The Guardian | title=Tickling shtick | date=23 October 2004 | location=London | first=Charles | last=Nevin | access-date=7 May 2010}}</ref> Dodd also made a joke that when [[income tax]] was introduced it was a mere 2p in every £1 earned, followed by the punchline "I thought it still was!"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/one-liner-legend-ken-dodds-greatest-jokes/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/one-liner-legend-ken-dodds-greatest-jokes/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=The one-liner legend: Ken Dodd's greatest jokes|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=12 March 2018|access-date=30 July 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Honours==
[[File:KenDoddStatueLimeStreet.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The statue of Dodd at [[Liverpool Lime Street railway station]]]]
He was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[1982 New Year Honours]] for services to show business and charity and was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2017 New Year Honours]] for services to entertainment and charity.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=61803 |supp=y|page=N2|date=31 December 2016}}</ref> The award was formally conferred by [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge]] in a ceremony at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 2 March 2017.<ref name="BBC-39141859">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-39141859|title=Sir Ken Dodd 'tickled' by knighthood|date=2 March 2017|work=[[BBC Online]]|access-date=3 March 2017}}</ref>

In 1993, Dodd won Top Variety Entertainer and was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s [[British Comedy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/british_comedy_awards/episodes/1993/1/|title=The British Comedy Awards British Comedy Awards 1993 - British Comedy Guide|first=British Comedy|last=Guide|website=British Comedy Guide|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref> In 1994, Dodd appeared in the TV special ''[[An Audience with...|An Audience with Ken Dodd]]''. The show was a success and introduced him to a younger audience.<ref name=bbcobit/> Dodd later became one of a select few to be given a second show, entitled ''Another Audience with Ken Dodd'' and originally broadcast in 2002.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Another Audience With Ken Dodd|publisher=Universal|asin=B00007DWN9|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ken-Dodd-Another-Audience-DVD/dp/B00007DWN9}}</ref>

He was made a [[Freedom of the City|Freeman of the City]] of Liverpool in 2001.<ref name=museum>[http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/exhibitions/ken-dodd/biography.aspx  "A lifetime in showbusiness", ''Museum of Liverpool'']. Retrieved 13 March 2018</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguideliverpool.com/tribute-liverpools-comedy-legend-sir-ken-dodd/|title=A tribute to Liverpool's Comedy Legend, Sir Ken Dodd|publisher=The Guide, Liverpool|access-date=12 March 2018|date=12 March 2018}}</ref> He was made an [[honorary fellow]] of [[Liverpool John Moores University]] in 1997. A statue depicting Dodd with his trademark "Tickling Stick" was unveiled in [[Liverpool Lime Street railway station]] in June 2009. It was temporarily removed in 2017 for renovation works.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/ken-dodd-bessie-braddock-statues-13797557|title=Why Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock statues have disappeared from Liverpool Lime Street Station|newspaper=Liverpool Echo|date=23 October 2017|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

Dodd was inducted into the exclusive show business fraternity, the [[Grand Order of Water Rats]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishpathe.com/video/water-rats-fete-duke-1/query/Dodd|title=Water Rats Fete Duke|website=Britishpathe.com}}</ref>

Dodd was awarded the honorary degree of [[Doctor of Letters]] from the [[University of Chester]] at a graduation ceremony in 2009 in [[Chester Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chester.ac.uk/node/4862|title=Ken Dodd tickled pink to receive Honorary Degree|publisher=University of Chester|date=11 November 2009|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> He was awarded a Doctorate of Letters at [[Liverpool Hope University]] in 2010 during the university's Foundation Day celebrations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/honorary-liverpool-hope-university-degrees-3433507|title=Honorary Liverpool Hope University degrees for Ken Dodd and Rolf Harris|newspaper=Liverpool Echo|date=14 January 2010|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

In 2016, Dodd was awarded the [[Aardman Animations|Aardman]] [[Slapstick Festival|Slapstick]] Comedy Legend Award, a recognition of his lifetime's contribution to the world of comedy. He received the award as part of the [[Slapstick Festival]] in Bristol.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/news/2010/ken_dodd_aardman_slapstick_comedy_legend_award/|title=Ken Dodd receives Slapstick Comedy Legend award|work=British Comedy News|date=26 January 2016|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life==
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{{nbsp}}... he thought that marriage could lead to complacency in a relationship, and caused some couples to stop putting in any effort."<ref>Stephen Griffin, ''Ken Dodd: The Biography'', Michael O'Mara Books Ltd., London, 2005.</ref> In 1955, Dodd began a 22-year relationship with Anita Boutin;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/sir-ken-dodds-widow-says-12206252|title=Sir Ken Dodd's widow shares her heartbreak - and how her husband is comforting her even after death|work=The Mirror|date=17 March 2018}}</ref> they were engaged at the time of her death from a brain tumour in 1977, at the age of 45.<ref name="independentie"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Ken Dodd dies at 90: Comedy world pays tribute to 'one of all-time greats' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/12/comedy-legend-sir-ken-dodd-dies-aged-90 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/12/comedy-legend-sir-ken-dodd-dies-aged-90 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=14 March 2018 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=12 March 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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 in ''The Ken Dodd Christmas Show'' at the [[Manchester Opera House]]. Dodd married Jones on 9 March 2018, two days before his death.<ref name="independentie">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/obituary-sir-ken-dodd-tickled-audiences-pink-for-decades-36694616.html|title=Obituary: Sir Ken Dodd tickled audiences pink for decades|work=Independent.ie|date=13 March 2018|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43367267|title=Sir Ken Dodd: Comedy legend dies, aged 90|work=[[BBC Online]]|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

Dodd was a supporter of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] and campaigned for [[Margaret Thatcher]] in the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]]. In the last rally, at [[Wembley Arena]], he introduced her onto the stage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/features/2017/11/06/38335/90_facts_about_ken_dodd | title=RIP Ken Dodd: 90 facts about the legendary comedian : Features 2017 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/28/ken-dodds-wife-anne-jones-children-said-7422708/|title=Who is Ken Dodd's wife Anne Jones and did they have any children?|website=Metro.co.uk|date=28 March 2018|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/930428/Ken-Dodd-dead-partner-Anne-Jones-wife-married-news-cause-of-death-how-did-die-Sir|title=Ken Dodd dead: Who is comedian's wife Anne Jones? Did they have children? Find out here|first=Minnie|last=Wright|date=12 March 2018|website=Express.co.uk|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref>

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 to [[Harassment in the United Kingdom|harassment]] and [[Criminal damage in English law#Arson|arson]] at [[Preston Crown Court]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2819343.stm|title=Stalker set fire to Dodd's home|work=BBC News|date=4 March 2003}}</ref>

==Death and tributes==
[[File:Oak House, Knotty Ash 20180321.jpg|thumb|280px|Oak House, Dodd's lifelong home, with floral tributes]]
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.<ref name="BBC-43367267">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43367267|title=Comedy legend Sir Ken Dodd dies, aged 90|work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=12 March 2018 |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> He had been touring with his stand-up stage show up until the end of 2017. Numerous stars paid tribute, including fellow Liverpudlian [[Paul McCartney]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43372834|title=Ken Dodd was 'life-enhancing and brilliant' – tributes paid to the comedian|work=BBC News|date=12 March 2018|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
At his funeral on 28 March, which was led by the [[Bishop of Liverpool]], [[Paul Bayes]], thousands of fans joined the cortege which passed from his Knotty Ash home to [[Liverpool Cathedral]]. The service was attended by actors [[Ricky Tomlinson]], [[Stephanie Cole]] and [[Miriam Margolyes]], comedians [[Jimmy Tarbuck]], [[Stan Boardman]], [[Roy Chubby Brown]], and [[Jimmy Cricket]], and television executive [[Michael Grade]]. After the service, Dodd was laid to rest - alongside both his parents - in a private burial service at [[Allerton Cemetery]] in Liverpool. Tickling sticks were placed on various statues around Liverpool in commemoration. At [[Liverpool Town Hall]], [[St George's Hall, Liverpool|St George's Hall]], the [[Cunard Building]] and [[Liverpool Central Library]], flags were lowered to pay respect.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43556933|title=Sir Ken Dodd: Fans turn out for comedian's Liverpool funeral|work=BBC News|date=28 March 2018|access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref>

Theatre critic [[Michael Coveney]] declared in his appreciation for ''[[The Stage]]'': "Ken Dodd was the greatest live performer I ever saw on stage anywhere."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/2018/michael-coveney-ken-dodd-greatest-live-performer-ever-saw-stage| title=Ken Dodd was the greatest live performer I ever saw on stage | publisher=The Stage, Michael Coveney, 13 March 2018}}</ref>

In the December 2018 BBC TV retrospective, ''How Tickled We Were'', the comic's biographer [[Michael Billington (critic)|Michael Billington]] ranked Dodd alongside [[Laurence Olivier|Lord 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".<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0bwdjxg/ken-dodd-how-tickled-we-were| title=Ken Dodd – How Tickled We Were| publisher=BBC television, 26 December 2018}}</ref>

In October 2020, Dodd's [[headstone]] was [[Vandalism|vandalised]] with [[graffiti]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/cilla-black-ken-dodd-graves-vandalised/|title=Cilla Black and Ken Dodd's graves vandalised with offensive graffiti in Liverpool|last=Eames|first=Tom|date=27 October 2020|work=[[Smooth Radio (2014)|Smooth Radio]]|access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref>

In September 2022, Lady Dodd endowed stained-glass windows at St Anne's Church, [[Old Swan]], in memory of her husband.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haf |first1=Ffion |title=Sir Ken Dodd's newest gift to Liverpool with touching message attached |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/sir-ken-dodds-newest-gift-25150986 |website=Liverpool Echo |date=30 September 2022 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref>

==Television work==
Ken Dodd had numerous television shows and specials over 60 years, including:
* ''The Ken Dodd Show'' [[BBC1|BBC TV]] (1959–1969)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/k/kendoddshowthe_7772305.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041024062911/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/k/kendoddshowthe_7772305.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 October 2004|title=BBC – Comedy Guide – The Ken Dodd Show|date=24 October 2004|website=Bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
* ''Complete Interview with Ken Dodd & the Beatles'' (1963)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgiiSfrf3So  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/VgiiSfrf3So| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Late Scene Extra|publisher=Granada Television}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* ''Doddy's Music Box'' – [[ABC Weekend Television|ABC-TV]] (1967–1968)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvpopdiaries.co.uk/doddy.html|title=TV Pop Diaries Doddy's Music Box|website=Tvpopdiaries.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1960s/doddys-music-box/|title=Doddy's Music Box – Nostalgia Central|website=Nostalgiacentral.com}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd and the Diddymen'' – BBC-TV (1969–1972)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1960s/ken-dodd-diddymen/|title=Ken Dodd & The Diddymen – Nostalgia Central|website=Nostalgiacentral.com|date=25 June 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/k/kendoddandthedid_7772315.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040913094736/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/k/kendoddandthedid_7772315.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 September 2004|title=BBC – Comedy Guide – Ken Dodd And The Diddymen|date=13 September 2004}}</ref>
* ''The Ken Dodd Show'' – [[LWT]] (1969)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/k/kendoddshowthe_1299000937.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040925061941/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/k/kendoddshowthe_1299000937.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 September 2004|title=BBC – Comedy Guide – The Ken Dodd Show|date=25 September 2004}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd in Funny You Should Say That'' – [[Associated Television|ATV]] (1972)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1970s/funny-you-should-say-that/|title=Funny You Should Say That – Nostalgia Central|website=Nostalgiacentral.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b734187e9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313093633/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b734187e9|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 March 2018|title=Ken Dodd in &quot;Funny You Should Say That&quot; (1972)|website=Bfi.org.uk}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd Says Stand by Your Beds''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/k/kendoddsaysstand_7772325.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050122003740/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/comedy/guide/articles/k/kendoddsaysstand_7772325.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 January 2005|title=BBC – Comedy Guide – Ken Dodd Says 'Stand By Your Beds!'|date=22 January 2005}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd's World of Laughter'' – BBC-TV 3 series, 19 episodes (1974–76)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/ken_dodds_world_of_laughter/|title=Ken Dodd's World Of Laughter – BBC1 Stand-Up|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref> 
* ''The Ken Dodd New Year's Eve Special'' (1975)
* ''The Ken Dodd Show'' – [[Thames Television]] (1978)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b83049b00|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313041449/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b83049b00|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 March 2018|title=The Ken Dodd Show (1978)|website=Bfi.org.uk}}</ref>
* ''The Ken Dodd Laughter Show'' – Thames Television (1979)
* ''Dodd on His Todd'' (1981)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/d/doddonhistodd_7772345.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041026133821/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/d/doddonhistodd_7772345.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 October 2004|title=BBC – Comedy Guide – Dodd On His Todd|date=26 October 2004|website=Bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
* ''Doddy!'' (1982)
* ''Ken Dodd's Showbiz'' – BBC-TV 6 episodes (1982)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/ken_dodds_showbiz/|title=Ken Dodd's Showbiz – BBC1 Stand-Up|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd at the London Palladium'' – Thames Television (1990)
* ''An Audience with Ken Dodd'' – LWT (1994)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itvstudios.com/programmes/an-audience-with-ken-dodd|title=ITV Studios – An Audience With Ken Dodd|website=itvstudios.com}}</ref>
* ''Another Audience with Ken Dodd'' – LWT (2002)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itvstudios.com/programmes/another-audience-with-ken-dodd|title=ITV Studios – Another Audience with Ken Dodd|website=itvstudios.com}}</ref> 
* ''Ken Dodd's Happiness'' – 'Arena' Illuminations Productions for BBC-TV (2007)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074prh|title=Ken Dodd's Happiness, Arena – BBC Four|website=BBC}}</ref>
* ''Talking Comedy'' (2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/talking_comedy/|title=Talking Comedy – BBC2 Chat Show|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd: In His Own Words'' – [[ITN Productions]] for [[Channel 5 (British TV channel)|Channel 5]] (2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/fhh5c9/happy-90th-ken-dodd-in-his-own-words/|title=Ken Dodd...In His Own Words – Ken Dodd: My Life – In His Own Words|website=Radio Times}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd How Tickled We Were'' – BBC-TV (documentary) (2018)

===Other television work ===
Dodd also appeared in many other programmes, as an actor, performer, or as himself. Appearances include:
 
* ''[[The Good Old Days (UK TV series)|The Good Old Days]]'' – BBC-TV (15 episodes 1955–1982)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13360811 |title=Obituary: Sir Ken Dodd – BBC News |work=BBC News |date=12 March 2018 |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[The Golden Shot]]'' – ATV (11 episodes 1969–74)
* ''[[Junior Showtime]]'' – [[Yorkshire Television]] (2 episodes 1970)
* ''Lift Off'' / ''[[Lift Off with Ayshea]]'' – [[Granada Television]] (6 episodes 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974)
* ''Whittaker's World of Music'' – LWT (1971)
* ''Look Who's Talking'' – [[Border Television]] (1973)
* ''[[Stars on Sunday]]'' – Yorkshire Television (7 episodes 1977–79)
* ''Be My Guest'' – Granada Television (1 episode 1977)
* ''[[The South Bank Show]]'' – LWT (1978)
* ''[[Doctor Who]]'': ''[[Delta and the Bannermen]]'' – BBC-TV (1987)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2018/03/ken-dodd-1927-2018.html |title=Ken Dodd 1927–2018 |work=Doctor Who News |date=8 November 1927 |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''A Question of Entertainment'' – BBC-TV 18 episodes (1988)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7986f0c5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328232805/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7986f0c5|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 March 2018|title=A Question of Entertainment[26/06/88] (1988)|website=Bfi.org.uk}}</ref>
* ''[[Hamlet (1996 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1996)<ref name=tickled/>
* ''Heroes of Comedy'' – Thames Television (1995–2001) About himself and other comics<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/heroes_of_comedy/episodes/4/2/ |title=Heroes Of Comedy Series 4, Episode 2 – The Living Legends: Ken Dodd – British Comedy Guide |work=Comedy.co.uk |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1999 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy]]'' (2007)<ref>{{cite web|author=Ben Williams |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/mar/12/ken-dodd-career-in-clips-and-10-of-his-best-jokes |title=Ken Dodd, the man from Mirthy-side: a career in clips and 10 of his best jokes |work=The Guardian |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''My Favourite Joke'' – 4 episodes (2011)
* ''The Story of Variety with Michael Grade'' – 2 episodes (2011)<ref>{{cite web|author=Amol Rajan |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-tv-the-story-of-variety-with-michael-grade-bbc4-when-teenage-meets-old-age-bbc2-2228444.html |title=Last Night's TV – The Story of Variety with Michael Grade, BBC4; When Teenage Meets Old Age, BBC2 |work=The Independent |date=1 March 2011 |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>
* ''[[Fern Britton Meets...]]'' (2013)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/51/fern-britton-meets |title=Fern Britton Meets... Ken Dodd – Media Centre |publisher=BBC |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref>

==Radio series==
* ''The Ken Dodd Show'' (1963–1973)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/the_ken_dodd_show/|title=The Ken Dodd Show – Radio 2 Sketch Show – British Comedy Guide|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/the_ken_dodd_show_1970/|title=The Ken Dodd Show – Radio 2 Stand-Up – British Comedy Guide|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/the_ken_dodd_show_comic_cuts/|title=The Ken Dodd Show – Radio 2 Comedy – British Comedy Guide|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd's Palace of Laughter'' (1986–1987)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishclassiccomedy.co.uk/ken-dodds-palace-of-laughter|title=Ken Dodd's Palace Of Laughter - British Classic Comedy|date=6 March 2011|website=Britishclassiccomedy.co.uk}}</ref>
* ''Ken Dodd: How Tickled I've Been'' (2007)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/when_doddy_met_ricky/|title=Ken Dodd: How Tickled I've Been – Radio 4 Documentary – British Comedy Guide|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Album discography===
* ''Presenting Ken Dodd'' <!-- Not the American company, issue used the British label's numbering system 33SX -->([[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]], 1962)
* ''Doddy and the Diddy Men'' (Columbia, 1965)<ref name=45cat/>
* ''Tears of Happiness'' (Columbia, 1965)
* ''Tears & the River'' ([[Liberty Records|Liberty]], 1966)
* ''For Someone Special'' (Columbia, 1967)
* ''I Wish You Love'' (Columbia, 1967)
* ''Don't Let Tonight Ever End'' (Columbia, 1968)
* ''I'll Find a Way'' (Columbia, 1970)
* ''Brokenhearted'' (Columbia, 1971)
* ''With Love in Mind'' (Columbia, 1971)
* ''Just Out of Reach'' (Columbia, 1973)
* ''Love Together'' ([[EMI]], 1976)
* ''Now and Forever'' ([[V.I.P. Records|VIP Records]], 1983)
* ''Ken Dodd and the Diddymen'' (Knotty Ash Records, 1987)

===UK chart singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!Title
!Release date
!Chart position<br> [[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/ken%20dodd/|title= Ken Dodd|date= c. 2010|work= The Official Charts|publisher= The Official UK Charts Co|access-date=24 June 2010}}</ref>
!Notes
|-
| "Love Is Like a Violin"
| style="text-align:center;"|7 July 1960
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| 
|-
| "Once in Every Lifetime"
| style="text-align:center;"|15 June 1961
| style="text-align:center;"|28
|
|-
| "Pianissimo"
| style="text-align:center;"|1 February 1962
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|
|-
| "[[Still (Bill Anderson song)|Still]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|29 August 1963
| style="text-align:center;"|35
|
|-
| "Eight by Ten"
| style="text-align:center;"|6 February 1964
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|
|-
| "[[Happiness (Bill Anderson song)|Happiness]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|23 July 1964
| style="text-align:center;"|31
|
|-
| "So Deep Is the Night"
| style="text-align:center;"|26 November 1964
| style="text-align:center;"|31
|
|-
| "[[Tears (Ken Dodd song)|Tears]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|2 September 1965
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|Sold over 1.5 million copies;<br/>39th best-selling single of all time in the UK
|-
| "The River (Le colline sono in fiore)"
| style="text-align:center;"|18 November 1965
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| with [[Geoff Love|Geoff Love and his Orchestra]]
|-
| "Promises"
| style="text-align:center;"|12 May 1966
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|
|-
| "More Than Love"
| style="text-align:center;"|4 August 1966
| style="text-align:center;"|14
|
|-
| "It's Love"
| style="text-align:center;"|27 October 1966
| style="text-align:center;"|36
|
|-
| "Let Me Cry on Your Shoulder"
| style="text-align:center;"|19 January 1967
| style="text-align:center;"|11
|
|-
| "Tears Won't Wash Away These Heartaches"
| style="text-align:center;"|30 July 1969
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|
|-
| "Brokenhearted"
| style="text-align:center;"|5 December 1970
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|
|-
| "[[L'arca di Noè (song)|When Love Comes Round Again (L'arca di Noè)]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|10 July 1971
| style="text-align:center;"|19
|
|-
| "[[Just Out of Reach (of My Two Open Arms)|Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|18 November 1972
| style="text-align:center;"|29
|
|-
| "Think of Me (Wherever You Are)"
| style="text-align:center;"|29 November 1975
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|
|-
| "Hold My Hand"
| style="text-align:center;"|26 December 1981
| style="text-align:center;"|44
|
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |first=Michael |last=Billington |author-link=Michael Billington (critic) |title=How Tickled I am: Celebration of Ken Dodd |location= London |publisher=Elm Tree Books |year=1977| isbn=978-024-1893-456}}
* {{cite book |first=Stephen |last=Griffin |title=Ken Dodd: The Biography|location=London |publisher=[[Michael O'Mara Books|Michael O'Mara]]|year=2005| isbn=978-184-3171-232}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ken Dodd}}
{{wikiquote}}
*{{IMDb name|0230087}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716163232/http://www.jimmyclitheroe.co.uk/doddy.htm Fan site] (archived)
*[http://www.chucklebutty.co.uk/kendodd.html Chucklebutty fan site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160414082028/http://www.kendoddshows.com/ Official website] (archived)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20180314181937/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba28c4df9 Ken Dodd] at the [[British Film Institute]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20031004235914/https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/talent/d/dodd_ken.shtml Ken Dodd – BBC Comedy] (archived)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083107/http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=4&subID=1364 Bournemouth Ken Dodd show review] (2007)
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jgdcn Ken Dodd interview] (2012) – ''[[Free Thinking|Night Waves]]'', [[BBC Radio 3]]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43384382 "Sir Ken Dodd and the end of a comedy era"], 13 March 2018 – [[BBC News]]

{{UK best-selling singles (by year) 1952–1969}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dodd, Ken}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:21st-century English comedians]]
[[Category:Actors awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:BBC television presenters]]
[[Category:British music hall performers]]
[[Category:Burials in North West England]]
[[Category:Columbia Graphophone Company artists]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:Comedians from Lancashire]]
[[Category:Comedians from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) people]]
[[Category:EMI Records artists]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English stand-up comedians]]
[[Category:English television presenters]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Liberty Records artists]]
[[Category:Male actors from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People acquitted of crimes]]
[[Category:People from Knotty Ash]]
[[Category:Singers awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Singers from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Television presenters from Liverpool]]