Video report by our Entertainment correspondent Caroline Whitmore
A laughter-filled exhibition, celebrating Sir Ken Dodd is set to open at the Museum of Liverpool on 9 September.
‘Happiness!’, the first major exhibition on a comedian in a national museum, is steeped in Doddy’s unique blend of whimsical, physical, surreal and theatrical humour, which transformed the UK comedy scene.
From the Diddymen to the Broken Biscuit Repair Works, Ken’s imagination was both endless and infectious and this exhibition is hoping to demonstrate that with never-before-seen personal objects, film, photography, interactives and of course many, many jokes.
Karen O’Rourke, Curator (Sport, Music & Performance) said:
“Sir Ken Dodd remains one of Liverpool’s most famous sons, so we’re very excited to be sharing his incredible career and achievements at Museum of Liverpool. ‘Happiness!’ explores the two sides of the much-loved Doddy, from the larger than life, quick-witted performer we know best, to the deep-thinker and private man off stage, who diligently filled more than a thousand notebooks with his jokes, observations, and philosophy of comedy.
“An exhibition about Ken would be incomplete without trying to capture his irresistible spirit. Expect plenty of gags and some of his most memorable props and costumes, as we celebrate Ken’s humour and lifelong passion for spreading happiness and laughter.”
Many of the objects featured in ‘Happiness!’ have been kindly loaned to the museum by Ken’s wife, Anne, Lady Dodd who told ITV Granada she was very proud of the exhibition.
She said: “It’s just incredible, you need to spend two or three hours here to have a good look.
She also said she was very honoured there’s a section on her about her, which shows one of her dancer’s outfits, as her and Ken met when she was dancing at one of his shows in Southport.
Also on display are extracts from Sir Ken Dodd’s notepads which Lady Dodd explained: “He did tell me, when he was in his last years ‘when I’m gone, you will burn them’ and he made me promise two or three times I would.”
But, after much soul-searching, she decided that they were too culturally significant and needed to be saved.
The notebooks will be kept largely private, but exclusively for this exhibition, Anne has agreed to share snippets from this important archive of a comedy genius and great philosopher.
Iconic props that became synonymous with Ken’s act can be viewed up close from his much-loved Dicky Mint (the ventriloquist puppet he performed with on TV, and in some live shows), to the famous Tickling Sticks, Knotty Ash Great Drum and more.
With his unruly hair and protruding teeth (the result of a childhood accident) Ken’s ‘look’ was integral to his act, which was very visual: “I wanted to be an original, so I capitalised on the teeth and the hair, and I used to say I’m the only one who can eat a tomato through a tennis racket”. (Ken on ‘Michael Parkinson Show’, 1980).
The exhibition features several of his eccentric costumes which added to his appearance, including the distinctive long red ‘Huury Furry Moggy Coat’, elements of his ‘Road to Mandalay’ military-style uniform and a large sombrero, worn during his parody of the song ‘Granada’.
The exhibition also features a clip from a conversation with Paul O’Grady and a tribute to the Birkenhead comic who passed away in March 2023.
National treasure and a local hero, Ken received numerous accolades during his lifetime. Nationally, he was honoured by the Variety Club of Great Britain in 1965 and received a British Comedy, Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.
He was made an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1982 and became ‘Sir Ken’ when he received a Knighthood in 2017.
Locally, he received Freedom of the City in 2001 and was recognised as the ‘Greatest Merseysider’ in a 2003 public vote.
Ken also received several academic honours. Many of these accolades are included in the exhibition, from Ken’s Knighthood medal to the gold award for his single ‘Tears’, which sold over one million copies in the UK. A lifelong resident of Knotty Ash in Liverpool, Ken’s career as an entertainer started in the 1950s.
Theatre was his first love and as a young performer he often worked unpaid in variety shows, wherever he had an audience. September 1954 saw his professional debut at the Nottingham Empire. Within a year, he was topping the bill in Warrington. By 1958, he was the star act in Blackpool, the spiritual home of variety in the north.
After Ken’s initial record-breaking run at the London Palladium in 1965, he returned for another blockbuster season in 1967. He played there many times over the years, including several Royal Variety performances.
Ken died aged 90 on 11 March 2018 at his home in Knotty Ash, the same home in which he was born and raised.