Ken Dodd

Ken Dodd - Last Appeared Sunday 8th May

Ken Dodd started his career as a ventriloquist - and indeed still uses the Dicky Mint dummy in his act.

However, his success came through his exaggerated on-stage persona - the manic hairstyle, protruding teeth and, of course, trademark tickling stick - combined with a relentless stream of one-liners, peppered with nonsense words like 'tattifilarious', that can - and do - entertain audiences for hours.

He built his reputation as a live performer on the variety stage, and famously logs audience reactions to jokes every night, building up a picture of what plays well where.

His career was boosted with appearances on TV, and his shows are renowned to last much longer than your average comedian. He also has a penchant for sickly ballads, as well as his signature tune Happiness, Ken Dodd has recording several albums of love songs notching up 19 top 40 hits, including the 1965 chart-topper Tears.