The Ken Dodd Happiness Show
The Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre is proud to welcome the much anticipated return of one the UK’s best loved entertainers, Ken Dodd, on Saturday 10th March.
Ken Dodd is absolutely discumknockerated (that’s Knotty Ash speak for ‘over the moon’) to be touring with his famous Happiness Show.
“I love slaving over hot audiences because they love a good laugh and I never get tired of entertaining them.”
Remarkably, Ken has not stopped entertaining since he turned professional in 1954, and today continues to pack theatres over the length and breadth of the UK. And after more than 50 years as a top entertainer, he still loves nothing better than making audiences laugh.
Ken still lives in the same house in which he was born – a listed Georgian farmhouse (built in 1740) in the Liverpool suburb of Knotty Ash. He is a crusader on behalf of live theatre, and his famous Ken Dodd ‘Happiness Show’ takes him on a virtual non-stop tour of the UK – clocking up over 100,000 miles annually!
His late father, Arthur, was a coal merchant who ran his business from the family home. Ken used to help deliver the coal with his brother, Billy. His father and late mother, Sarah, bought Ken his first ‘Punch & Judy Show’ when he was a child, and he used to put on shows in the back garden. Later he began his charitable fundraising activities by making appearances in local shows and garden fetes. He and his sister, June, had dancing lessons together and would give their parents impromptu shows.
Since then he’s been a bill-topper throughout most of his career and has starred in numerous Royal Variety Shows and in sell-out record-breaking seasons at theatres like the London Palladium, Birmingham Hippodrome and Blackpool Opera House. On television and radio he’s enjoyed countless series, been honoured in a special one-hour ‘This Is Your Life’ tribute, and his hugely successful ’An Audience With Ken Dodd’ TV special, was followed with the equally successful ‘Another Audience With Ken Dodd’. Both have become best-selling and award-winning videos. His diversity of talent is such that he’s played Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Yorrick in Kenneth Branagh’s epic film version of ‘Hamlet ‘ and ‘Mr.Mouse’ in the Hollywood film of ‘Alice In Wonderland’.
“To be honest, my favourite place is the theatre. After more than 50 gloriously happy years, I still enjoy the ‘buzz’ of the live venue and a packed audience laughing their heads off and forgetting all their cares and worries for a couple of hours (at least!)”
Do not miss this fantastic performer doing his thing live at The Journal Tyne Theatre.
