Death of comedy legend Ken Dodd

and once I’ve recovered myself I’ll get back to doing the job, which is the only job I’ve ever had,” he said at the time.

“While I was in here, I wrote some new jokes, so it should be all right.”

During the 1960s he entered the Guinness Book of Records for the longest joke-telling session ever — 1,500 jokes in three-and-a-half hours.

His TV shows included The Ken Dodd Show, Beyond Our Ken and Ken Dodd’s Laughter Show, and he entered the big time in 1965 with the longest-ever run at the London Palladium — 42 weeks.

Also a well-known singer, in 1964 the star released his first single, Happiness, followed by smash hit Tears in 1965, and then Promises.

The veteran comic was knighted in honour of his decades-long showbiz career and charity work in March last year.

He was acquitted following a five-week trial, accused of tax fraud, in 1989 and would later joke about the case, which had transformed Liverpool Crown Court into a sell-out theatre, with fellow comics Eric Sykes and Roy Hudd called as character witnesses.

His first fiancee, Anita Boutin, died of a brain tumour in 1977, aged 45, after 24 years together.

Ken in 1965. Inset: with partner Anne Jones after being knighted last year.