‘I have the best job in the world’
At aged 89, legendary comedian Ken Dodd reveals he’s got a lot more happiness to share with the world – especially now he’s becoming a Sir!
How tickled we were to find out that Ken Dodd is at long last to become Sir Doddy of Knotty Ash. In typical humorous fashion he reacted to news of the knighthood announced in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list by asking: “Can you still go down to the chip shop when you’re a Sir?” Nearing 90, and after more than 60 years of making us laugh, it’s a long overdue honour but it won’t mean Ken takes any time out. Retirement is categorically not on the cards anytime soon as he continues to devotedly pack out theatres up and down the country for his marathon-length performances of the Ken Dodd Happiness Show. “It’s the audiences that help keep me so sprightly,” says regular Yours reader Ken. “And slaving over a hot audience is the most wonderful thing. It’s like going on holiday.” As one of the longestserving performers in the business, Ken certainly knows a thing or two about playing an audience, even keeping them belly laughing away well past midnight in his famously latefinishing shows. “I’ve seen children grow out of their trousers” is one of his regular opening lines as he readies his audience – young and old – for a long night of chuckle-raising ahead. It all started for the lad from Knotty Ash when his dad took the Dodd family to The Shakespeare Theatre in Liverpool to see all the great comics of the day. “Sat in the dark in this mysterious place that smelled of orange peel and cigar smoke, I saw a magical world where everyone was so happy. And it seemed like paradise to me. So I said to my dad, ‘Dad, how do you do comedy?’ And he told me a couple of gags. I then did my first show about 8 or 9 years old. And once you’ve been on stage and made an audience laugh, you’re hooked for the rest of your life,” says Ken, who still lives in his grandparent’s house where he grew up. Apart from a brief stint helping his coal merchant father and later working as a door-to-door salesman, Ken gave his life over to making people laugh. “I’ve got one of the best jobs in the world,” he says “because I only see happy people enjoying themselves.” Nevertheless, comedy has always been serious business for Ken, who’s spent his career studying humour as if he was a Professor of Funny. “We laugh at the same things now as we did in the days of the two ‘Arrys – Aristotle and Aristophanes, the first people to ever write jokes. We still laugh at men and women, love and sweethearts, possessions and money. Humour hasn’t changed the whole time I’ve been working.” So what does he make of modern comedians and their penchant for the blue language Ken has always avoided in his shows? “You know, laughter is like a rainbow,” says Ken. “At the top you have white laughter, which is the laughter of pure joy and you can hear that any time you want, passing a school playground. Then you get yellow laughter, the laughter of clowns and red
‘A good old joke is like a good old friend. You never forget them. And they’ll always do you a good turn’
laughter, the laughter of love. Then right near the bottom – as in don’t go there – is the laughter of cynicism, sarcasm and obscenity. My job is to go into a theatre and make people happy. Not to make them squirm with embarrassment. I only do comedy that makes me feel good.” While some might regard Ken’s humour as a bit old-fashioned these days, he’s keen to prove he’s not afraid of trying something new. “Every show, I try out about six new gags and that gives me such a thrill as I don’t know whether it’s going to get a big laugh or a little titter,” says Ken, who reveals he still gets stagefright before he goes on to perform. Meanwhile, there’s always room for plenty of ad-libbing. “With my hand on my heart I can say I’ve actually stood on stage and heard myself telling jokes I’ve never heard before. As you go through the years, you learn to trust your mind and the chuckle muscle inside of you.” And that chuckle muscle must be like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s biceps these days in Ken, who’s determined to keep making people happy for as long as he can. “Time is such a delicate flower and my plan is to use my time creatively and enjoy it as much as I can, because it’s a wonderful world,” he says. And with that, it’s time to say tatty bye to this brilliant man who’s certainly given us more than our share of happiness over the years. The Ken Dodd Happiness Show is touring the UK now. To book, contact your local theatre or visit kendoddshows.com