Sir Ken Dodd: A Happy Story
It’s 1927 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool. A child is born and the smiles haven’t stopped since!
As we honour his legacy by renaming the auditorium at City Varieties Music Hall, we’re taking a look back at Sir Ken Dodd’s life and the many hours he spent making people laugh on our stage.
Written by Aaron Cawood
A message from Lady Anne Dodd
At our renaming ceremony on Thu 6 June 2024, we took time to chat with Lady Anne Dodd to hear why The Varieties was so important to Sir Ken and what the renaming of the auditorium would’ve meant to him.
As well as that ceremony, on Sun 9 June 2024 we hosted the premiere of The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved, presenting the film for an audience of invited guests and friends of the venue. To find out more, and to book a seat at our public screening of the film on Sun 30 June 2024, keep on reading!
A star is born
“Fool your teachers, amaze your friends—send 6d in stamps and become a ventriloquist!”
An advert in a comic book was all it took for Dodd to start his journey into show business. After a childhood that included evacuations during the Second World War and working for his father in the coal business, Sir Ken would find his footing with the help of something so simple; training in ventriloquism. Inspired by the idea of using ventriloquism to make people laugh, Ken’s parents bought him his first puppet, which he named Charlie Brown – and this would be what inspired him to start operating under a stage persona for the first time.
Far from the choirboy of Knotty Ash and his time during the war evacuated to Shrewsbury, Professor Yaffle Chuckabutty was billed as the Operatic Tenor and Sausage-Knotter, and operated through the club circuit while Dodd kept his day job. Having performed on the radio first, for BBC Manchester, it would be at age 26 that Sir Ken took Professor Yackle Chuckabutty to the stage at the Empire Theatre of Varieties (now, Notthingham Theatre Royal and Concert Hall) in 1954. Of this performance, Ken is famously quoted to have said: “at least they didn’t boo me off.” It would be only a year later that Sir Ken Dodd’s story would begin to be intertwined with ours.
From Liverpool to local
Sir Ken at The Good Old Days
The City Varieties Music Hall and Leeds Grand Theatre were regular homes to the legendary funny man and friend of both venues.
The much-loved variety performer became a familiar face of the BBC’s The Good Old Days which was broadcast live from The Varieties from 1953 to 1983. Those familiar with his act remember Sir Ken fondly for his quick wit – a famed average of six jokes a minute – and his love for the stage, which often manifested itself in a seemingly never-ending encore performance. At the same time he was appearing on the BBC’s The Good Old Days, The Kenn Dodd Show and Ken Dodd and the Diddymen aired throughout the 1960s, bringing light to imagery that would become iconic throughout his career; Diddymen, jam butties, and all things ‘tattifilarious’.
At the reopening of City Varieties Music Hall in 2011, Sir Ken took to the stage at 7.30pm, rattling through laugh after laugh, until 10.15pm… which would not mark the end of the show, but the interval. That performance would go on to last until 12.45am – an attribute Sir Ken became most known for across the course of his career. But audiences weren’t complaining, with press cuttings from the time describing that he was ‘amazing’ as he managed to work through ’55 years of material’. From receiving his OBE in 1982 to his Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Comedy Awards and touring into his 90s, Sir Ken seemingly never wanted to stop making people smile; curfew, or no curfew.
The audience at Sir Ken's closing show in 2009 ahead of The Varieties' closure
The decision to honour Dodd with The Varieties’ Sir Ken Dodd Auditorium is a decision rooted in celebrating one of the legends of variety performance. For our venue, the history and heritage of our stage and its many players are crucial to us as we continue to move forward into whatever comes next. From the BBC’s The Good Old Days to each time he still had just a few more jokes to tell, Sir Ken is an unforgettable part of The Varieties’ tapestry, and we couldn’t be more grateful to keep his story alive.
Ian Sime, General Manager, who worked closely with Sir Ken and his wife Lady Anne Dodd, reflects on Dodd’s unparalleled talent and professionalism: “Sir Ken was one of the nation’s last and greatest music hall performers, a true master of his craft. Hosting Sir Ken’s Happiness Shows was a privilege, and it’s only fitting to name our cherished auditorium after him, where he brought joy to countless people, often extending performances well beyond their scheduled times!
“His memory and legacy for inspiring future generations and aspiring entertainers will live long at The Varieties.”
The jokes keep going
Sir Ken spoke fondly of The Varieties throughout his career, calling it “a fabulous jewel in Yorkshire’s crown that gives happiness to millions” and “a beautiful theatre steeped in the traditions of variety.” As well as renaming the auditorium, a new feature documentary film titled THE REAL KEN DODD: The Man I Loved premiered at The Varieties on Sun 9 June 2024. Narrated by Miriam Margolyes and featuring interviews with stars such as Sir Ian McKellen, Paul O’Grady, and Jonny Vegas, the documentary delves into Doddy’s private world, revealing the secrets of his comic talent through never-before-seen home videos, stage performances, and extracts from his extensive diary notebooks.
Produced over four years with full access from Lady Anne Dodd, fly-on-the-wall cameras follow Anne as she wrestles to preserve Ken’s comic and musical legacy and establish Doddy’s lifelong dream to build a British Comedy Museum. Along the way, Dodd’s legacy helps create a new Shakespeare Northern Globe theatre and ensures that Ken has become the first comic to have a national museum exhibition celebrating his 70 years of bringing ‘Happiness’ to audiences across Britain. In line with this, The Varieties will also be home to a public screening of the film on Sun 30 June 2024.
Lady Dodd and Miriam Margolyes
Lady Dodd, Patron of The Friends of the City Varieties, says: “Ken’s first ever appearance on television was at Leeds City Varieties on March 11, 1955, in The Good Old Days. Even though his first spot was relatively short and down the bill, the audience laughed before he even spoke a word and he returned many times over the years as a regular and the laughs got bigger every time.
“If he’d known then that in years to come the city of Leeds would honour him by naming this glorious auditorium after him, he’d never have believed it. A man from Lancashire being honoured in Yorkshire – the war of the roses is well and truly over!”
Check out some images from last week’s events below!
THE REAL KEN DODD: The Man I Loved
Sun 30 June 2024
Lifting the veil on Britain’s greatest comic genius, this screening includes a pre-show introduction and Q&A with Lady Anne Dodd.
City Varieties Music Hall Building Fund
The City Varieties Music Hall is the gem in Leeds’ crown. As the city’s oldest theatre, we want to ensure that Britain’s longest, continuously operating music hall is here for future generations, making it more accessible, sustainable, and comfortable. All donations will be fully invested in the building and equipment and will enhance your experience as a customer.
