Ken Dodd's shows went 'on a bit' but he was a much-loved comedian whose Blackpool career spanned 63 years

Doddy is back! His image by sculptor Graham Ibbeson will be unveiled next Friday, in Blackpool's Grand Theatre, by Lady Anne Dodd.
Ken Dodd switching on Blackpool Illuminations in 1966Ken Dodd switching on Blackpool Illuminations in 1966
Ken Dodd switching on Blackpool Illuminations in 1966

So, who better than Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE to lead this page in the letter D section of our A to Z series of Blackpool stars of the 20th Century?

Ken Dodd (1927-2018) had a span of 63 years of Blackpool appearances, including ten long summer seasons with two shows per night, Monday to Saturday.

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The second show tended to "go on a bit" with Doddy often still comeding at midnight.

Barry Band with Ken Dodd at Blackpool Tower after the opening of the resort's Comedy CarpetBarry Band with Ken Dodd at Blackpool Tower after the opening of the resort's Comedy Carpet
Barry Band with Ken Dodd at Blackpool Tower after the opening of the resort's Comedy Carpet

In my show column days in the '60s I had the cheek to ask him why he over-ran on the second show. He quipped: "Young man, I'm making it respectable for older folk to stay out late."

Ken burst on to the summer scene in 1955 as a supporting act in Morecambe and Wise's season show at the Central Pier. Producer Peter Webster had seen him the previous autumn on a variety bill at the old Queen's Theatre - and promptly booked him.

A second Central Pier season in 1956 saw Ken with bigger billing and in 1957 he topped the summer bill at the old Hippodrome, followed by his star spot at the Central Pier in 1958, his fourth successive Blackpool season.

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His early TV spots launched Ken into the big time with a long season at the London Palladium and a return to Blackpool as the 1962 summer season headliner at the Opera House.

Ken Dodd at the Grand Theatre in 1996Ken Dodd at the Grand Theatre in 1996
Ken Dodd at the Grand Theatre in 1996

Five more Opera House seasons followed, until 1981. For every year he was not in the summer show, Ken did Sunday concerts, as many as six per year, twice nightly. From 1987 they were at the Grand.

The only Doddy season I missed was 1968 at the Opera House. I was off reporting the wild west (so it seemed) for a newspaper in Vancouver.

Back at the Gazette in 1971, Doddy was topping his fifth season at the Opera House. That could have been the year he offered me a drink in his dressing room. And poured a cup of tea!

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Doddy's ten Blackpool seasons panned out at about 1,900 performances. But his number of Sunday concerts must have added another 500 and he did many civic events at the Winter Gardens.

He didn't do a summer season at the Grand but was supportive of the theatre trust's fund-raising to reopen the theatre, including a Midnight Matinee.

I regret that I missed his final Sunday shows at the Grand in the autumn of 2017, shortly before he died. I'd stopped staying out late!

But I can share the photo of Doddy and me in the Tower, after he had formally opened the promenade Comedy Carpet in 2011.

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On the topic of tributes to departed artists, the number of statues in Fylde Coast locations shows how significant were the comedians in our culture.

Morecambe and Wise stand in the Floral Hall of the Winter Gardens, Les Dawson is by the pier at St. Annes, Bobby Ball is soon to be honoured at the Lowther Gardens at Lytham and now Ken Dodd at the Grand.

Readers can keep track of "who was who" in Blackpool's showbiz heritage by following our A to Z series every Friday.