Ken Dodd – legend comedian, entertainer, ventriloquist, actor, songwriter, and singer

Mr Ken Dodd, well known, utterly respected, iconic, British comedian & entertainer, was probably inadequately revered & encapsulated in a post here last January 1^{st. .} Some of us now have had the unforgettable experience of seeing him in the flesh at his 2014 touring show ‘Happiness”, following on his fifty-seven years no less in show business. Last night, a Sunday, he was at Wimbledon New Theatre, London. He is renowned for his ‘long shows’ and last night was no exception. The full to capacity theatre audience was enthralled from start to finish (7pm until nearly midnight), and the end standing ovation strongly demonstrated their reluctance to go home – Ken would have carried on regardless without doubt, but the theatre management were ready for home!.

Most of the audience was mature or older generation, to say the least – because you have to have been around quite a while to have seen Ken in his heyday of stand-up comedy on TV and theatre – today’s young population you see have to put up with mean talented, non-entertainment trained or experienced, so called ‘comics’, who strangely believe that foul-mouthedness is the foundation of comedy – why is that?

To see Ken Dodd on stage you don’t really accept his age of nearly 87 (we think he must have forged his birth certificate!). Smart certainly, he looked the part and he is well on the ticket for his age; his energy, his stamina, his elegance, his style, his charisma, and his presentation is second to none. He was really good, his jokes, and his one liners, are still very good and delivered with real panache (even if his ‘groupies’ have heard a few of them before – but they were new to most of us).

In his show he does his ventriloquism and sings of course, and he still has a quality voice and one that some of the BBC’s The Voice show contestants would be envious & proud of – some people will remember his 1965 UK chart topping No1 song ‘Tears’, as well as twenty other singles over some 20 years until the 80s – not bad for a comic eh?. He even comes with his trademark frizzy hair and buck teeth as well as his tickling sticks.

He used to do an unbelievable one hundred and fifty shows a year (that’s what you call hard work), but now he has calmed down a bit – about 50 venues! Places like, Bolton, Brighton, Leicester, High Wycombe Glasgow, Stirling, Ludlow, Malvern, Worthing, IOW, Bridlington, Lutterwoth, Skegness, Macclesfield, Dorking, Eastbourne, Whitley Bay, Llandudno, Leeds and many others.

[Another forty shows to go this year all over – north, south, east, west, IoW, Wales. It doesn’t matter how far you have to travel, just if you can get there – it’s worth it! Too good to miss?]

“Tears”, already a thirty-five year old song when made famous by Ken Dodd in 1965 – and in the top 20 UK best selling singles OF ALL TIME at 2002

Tears for souvenirs are all you’ve left me
Memories of a love you never meant
I just can’t believe you could forget me
After all those happy hours we spent (together)

Tears have been my only consolation
But tears can’t mend a broken heart I must confess
Let’s forgive and forget
Turn our tears of regret
Once more to tears of happiness

Tears have been my only consolation
But tears can’t mend a broken heart I must confess
Let’s forgive and forget
Turn our tears of regret Once more to tears of happiness

Let’s forgive and forget
Turn our tears of regret
Once more to tears of happiness