I’m full of plumptiousness!

Ken Dodd honoured at 89 – and he’s still performing to sell-out crowds every night

AFTER a 60-year career tickling the nation’s funny bone, nobody was as bemused about why Ken Dodd had not been knighted as the entertainer himself.

And having decided that his notorious run-ins with the taxman meant he had been blacklisted, the comedian was taken by surprise when he finally received the honour at the grand old age of 89.

The entertainer said last night that the prestige of receiving the honour was worth the wait and that he had been ‘highly tickled’ by the recognition.

It comes months after the comedian – known for his wild hair, protruding teeth and tickling sticks – joked about how he spent years waiting for a letter that never came.

He previously suggested he had been repeatedly overlooked after being charged with tax evasion in 1989, despite being acquitted after a three-week trial.

But speaking yesterday, Sir Ken expressed his delight at finally being made a knight.

‘I’m very proud, I’m very, very happy and full of plumptiousness,’ he said. ‘I’d like to thank all the people who, for some time now, have been wishing this to happen and now it has happened.’

‘You have to wait until you’re asked, and about a month ago I got a very surprising letter saying, “Would you like to be a Sir” and, if so, I would have to keep it secret.’

He added: ‘I think it makes you feel just a little bit special, not too much, but a little bit special.’

Sir Ken, who grew up in Liverpool as the son of a coal merchant, was handed the honour for services to entertainment and charity and said that he would keep fundraising.

Despite recently acknowledging that his fading memory means he occasionally has to rely on notes during his famously lengthy performances, the star said he has no plans to retire. He said: ‘I’m not going to hang my tickling stick up yet. I go up and down the motorway like a human yo-yo and it’s lovely. It’s what I do.’

His current 39-date tour has seen the comedian sell out some of the largest theatres in the country as he performs for hours every night.

Friends of the star said yesterday said that he had been left ‘as pleased as punch’ after receiving his nomination from the Cabinet Office weeks ago.

Sir Ken, who was awarded an OBE in 1982, has previously expressed his annoyance at not being put forward for the honour.

He said last year: ‘Of course I would like one. It would keep my ears warm in bed. But seriously, I don’t know why I have not had one. It is up to them.’

He added: ‘It’s a very exciting thought and a thrilling proposition, but at the same time I’d have to be careful of going for chips with a crown on.’

The comedian has been joined on this year’s list by an array of celebrities including Mark Rylance, who has also received a knighthood. The 56-year-old, regarded as the best stage actor of his generation, received an Oscar last yeat for his appearance in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge Of Spies.

Sir Mark, who ran Shakespeare’s Globe for a decade, also won widespread acclaim for his role as Thomas Cromwell in the BBC adapta-

‘It is a thrilling proposition’

tion of Wolf Hall. There was a confirmed OBE for Victoria Beckham, who was awarded for services to fashion and charity.

Welsh opera singer Bryn Terfel yesterday said it was ‘an immense honour’ after being nominated for a knighthood. ‘I am truly humbled. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for all the support and encouragement I have received from the great British public and further afield.’

The world of music has also been represented in this year’s list with the inclusion of Fifties rocker Marty Wilde, who has received an MBE.

Stage and television actor Tim Pigott-Smith, 70, award-winning actress Helen McCrory, 48, and James Bond star Naomie Harris, 40, are all appointed OBEs for services to drama.

Television presenter Angela Rippon is honoured with a CBE in recognition of her charitable work surrounding dementia.