Talk:Ken Dodd

TV series

As I remember, Ken Dodd did several TV series in the 1970s - if anyone has any details about them, they'd certainly be worth adding to the article, please! New Thought 20:44, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

One was definitely called "Funny You Should Say That !" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.198.251.30 (talk) 21:58, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

Yorick

I'll say it just once - Billy Crystal plays the gravedigger. Ken Dodd plays Yorick in silent flashback. This is confirmed by the film credits as well as the director's commentary. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.150.143.180 (talk) 16:20, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

IMDB lists Ken Dodd as playing Yorick, not either of the two grave diggers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.25.177.3 (talk) 23:08, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

Tour

Doesn't Ken Dodd have some sort of project to perform at every theatre in the UK or something? Worth a mention. Cutler 11:22, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

And at nearly eighty the finest stand-up in the country

Make that 87, going on 88. The rest is still true. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:2422:A189:E135:89D:4367:85A1 (talk) 19:17, 1 June 2015 (UTC)

Sir Ken Dodd still tours the Uk to different theatres which are always filled every night. If you get the chance.. go see him. Amazingly funny!! Adam Kiel Moore (talk) 12:41, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Cleanup

There are a few qoutes that are not cited, and some of it reads like an autobiography, hence the cleanup tag.

Now fixed, added refs and other tidyups. --Oscarthecat 22:19, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

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Image

I don't feel that the image of Ken Dodd on this page is a true representation of what he looks like.

It shocked me at first, I saw him last year and I'm sure he hasnt aged this much.

Does anybody else share the same opinion? Matty2002 (talk) 21:22, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

I most certainly do! It's a dreadful, grotty picture and most certainly needs to be replaced! Cheers, Vera, Chuck & Dave (talk) 21:43, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

F*** me!!

There must be a better picture of Doddy out there??

He looks like a cast member from a zombie movie. It hardly does the man justice. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.154.105.1 (talk) 11:57, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

I totally agree, i think aroumd this time he had been in hospital for an operation.. this picture is now 10years old. He was recently on the NTA awards and at 89 looked a hundred times better than the picture on here.. how do we get this changed??? Adam Kiel Moore (talk) 12:44, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Alternative available images may be found at [1]. Martinevans123 (talk) 12:47, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

External links

The link to the 'didtheydie' page is completly unnecassary and does not contribute to the article. Therefore, I am removing it. 86.20.115.233 (talk) 15:13, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Other Singles

Is there really a Ken Dodd single called "Ken Dodd's dad's dogs dead"? I think there's a band of that name. Can we have a reference? --Frumpo (talk) 13:45, 26 August 2011 (UTC)

Article needs update

I saw Ken in Blackpool 07/11/2011 and accordingly this article needs updating to show he is active at the end of 2011. He came on at about 19:15 and fininshed at 01:00 the next morning. He had three breaks during the show and seemed to have more as much energy when he finished as when he started. 94.5.82.107 (talk) 12:46, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

I agree. He thrives on simply making people laugh and enjoys it so much it seems to take away the years and you see him seem to grow on stage and the energy flow into him. At 89 and still doing the shows i think everytime i see him its almost unbelievable. I've now seen him 3times and he is like a tonic for life and such a priveledge to see. Long may he go on. Adam Kiel Moore (talk) 12:49, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

100 million records?

This statistic seems unlikely given that his best-selling song sold only c.1 million copies, and it seems likely that few other songs of his sold anything like this given that they were much further down the charts. The source is an obscure local paper. Also note Dodd is not listed anywhere in List of best-selling music artists. Ben Finn (talk) 11:56, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

Indeed, it is extremely unlikely he has sold that much and was sourced from a not very reliable local rag, so I have removed it. Mattg82 (talk) 03:10, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Diddy Men

Around 1960, I remember seeing Ken Dodd on TV a number of times and in a separate part of the screen on his right, so our left, were tiny cartoon men (black and white, as the show itself was) who spoke in squeaky voices. They were his Diddy Men, Diddy I suppose meaning small, and he talked to and interacted with them. (178.236.117.122 (talk) 08:57, 5 May 2013 (UTC))

The Diddy Men are mentioned in the article. They sang a song which went "We are the Diddy men, who come from Knotty Ash". Vorbee (talk) 07:57, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

Incorrect Assertion

Not sure how many assertions in this article are wrong, but this one is for sure:

  In the 1960s his fame was such that he rivalled <sic> the Beatles as a household name.[1] 

I suspect some of the record sales statements are incorrect as well. Not a lot of harm in these errors, but it is a little confounding (a little like reading an assertion that the sky is red when it is easy to verify it is not red, and no citation is needed). Few in North America, South America, or Europe had not heard of the Beatles. Lennon's faux pas that they were more popular than Jesus was reflective of their reach even if it was politically incorrect to say it publicly. Perhaps Dodd's popularity rivaled the Beatles in parts of England, Scotland and Wales? N0w8st8s (talk) 17:40, 2 June 2014 (UTC)n0w8st8s

Based on his status in the UK he did very much rival the Beatles as a household name in the 1960s. Not in parts of the country, but as a whole. His hit song "Tears" was the biggest selling single of 1965, and the third best seller of the decade. It was the only non-Beatles song in the top five. The Supremes article claims they rivaled the Beatles success at their peak too and this is based on their number 1 chart hits on the US Hot 100 singles chart (despite the claim actually being made for "worldwide" success), certainly nothing else (i.e, album success in the US, or UK success, where they came nowhere close). CliffordJones (talk) 15:31, 28 January 2016 (UTC)

Single Tears

This article says that "Tears" was the third best-selling single of the 1960s, but I am sure that I heard on the radio tonight (February 11 2018) that it was the fifth best-selling single, after numbers that were all Beatles songs. Vorbee (talk) 18:43, 11 February 2018 (UTC)

His career ended in 2017

He did not perform in 2018. (86.133.85.74 (talk) 12:30, 12 March 2018 (UTC))

No, but he intended and planned to, until the last few days. Planning performances is as much part of a career as actually performing. Ghmyrtle (talk) 12:33, 12 March 2018 (UTC)

Removed absent sourcing:

I dont have time atm, but the below has been removed as lacking explicit sourcing. If anyone can quickly source it, replace it back in an appropriate section.

The shows that Dodd has starred in included:

   The Ken Dodd Show (1959–1966),
   Doddy's Music Box (1967),
   Ken Dodd and the Diddymen (1969–1973),
   The Ken Dodd Show (1969),
   Ken Dodd in Funny You Should Say That (1972),
   Ken Dodd says Stand By Your Beds,
   Ken Dodd's World of Laughter (1974),
   The Ken Dodd New Year's Eve Special (1975),
   The Ken Dodd Show (1978),
   The Ken Dodd Laughter Show (1979),
   Dodd on his Todd (1981),
   Doddy! (1982),
   Ken Dodd's Showbiz (1982),
   Ken Dodd at the London Palladium (1990),
   An Audience with Ken Dodd (1994),
   Another Audience with Ken Dodd (2002),
   Ken Dodd's Happiness (2007),
   Ken Dodd: In His Own Words (2017).

Ken has also guest in many other series including Doctor Who, My Favourite Joke, Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy, Fern Britton Meets..., and The Good Old Days.

Other singles

• "Where's Me Shirt?" (1965)
• "The Same Mistakes"/"Call Me Mister Sunshine" (1967)
• "You're My Best Friend" (1980)
• "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" (1980)
• "It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)" (1980)

Only in death does duty end (talk) 13:21, 12 March 2018 (UTC)

Ref to the book?

Does wiki still have section on people pages to ref books about them?

Ken Dodd: The Biography By Stephen Griffin

Personal life section

I've added a mention of his longterm relationship with Anita Boutin (24 years, until her death in 1977) into the "Early life" section. It seems misplaced though there is no other obvious place to put it. Should there be a "Personal life" section? And, if so, should the tax case and discussion of his attitude to money fall within it, rather than a separate section? Ghmyrtle (talk) 13:29, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

I think we'll need one. I'm trying to find some other sources about any other personal things (didn't he like dogs?) which might flesh that out. We can also include Anne in this section and just name-check her in "Death", maybe adding a few other tributes which have come in. The tax case I think needs to be separate as it was a major news story. Ritchie333 ^{(talk) (cont)} 14:08, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

There's more about his personal life here, though we could use better sources. Ghmyrtle (talk) 15:22, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

I've been bold tonight and placed four sentences in a "Personal life" section. I agree with Ritchie that the tax case should be separate from this. My reasoning for placing four sentences in a "Personal life" section is:

1) I agree with Ghmyrtle that his long-term relationship with Anita Boutin seems rather misplaced in the "Early life" section. This was a significant relationship he had of 24 years and he was engaged to her at the time of her death in 1977. I feel that this long-term relationship, which stretched from the 1950s to the 1970s, is more suited to a "Personal life" section because it encompassed not just his early life, but a significant part of his adult life.

2) His long-term relationship of 40 years with Anne Jones is (in my humble opinion) more suited to a "Personal life" section rather than the "Death" section.

3) The news story with a citation to BBC News about a stalker attempting to burn down Dodd's house in 2001 is, in my view, sufficiently notable to be included. This was not just a case of threatening letters, which many celebrities might face from the public. This was serious arson, which caused significant damage to his house. A rare event and notable enough in my view to be included. Regards, Kind Tennis Fan (talk) 01:22, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

Being bold is what it's all about - thanks. Ritchie333 ^{(talk) (cont)} 13:14, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

Thanks Ghmyrtle (talk) for restoring the external link to the BBC article by David Sillito. It works fine for me now, but for some strange reason came up as "Page not found" when I clicked on it yesterday. Kind Tennis Fan (talk) 23:18, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

My fault I think - a stray comma. Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:35, 15 March 2018 (UTC)

"Best known for..."

I'm not sure about this edit. At least in his earlier career, he certainly made play of his physical appearance, including his hair and teeth, but I'm sure he wasn't "best known" for that - nor am I sure that he was "best known" for his tickling stick or catch phrases. He was "best known", if anything, for his unique style of rapid-fire and often surreal jokes, and the length and quantity of his stage (and TV, to an extent) appearances over a long career. We need to say something in the opening paragraph about his most defining characteristics, and in deciding that we should be guided, in my view, by what obituaries in reliable sources say about him. What are people's thoughts about what that should be? Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:26, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Long-term abuse/Best known for IP, light touch paper, and run ie: consensus is generally that if nothing else, avoiding "best known for" saves a whole load of trouble - in this case, I think it shouldn't be there. Ritchie333 ^{(talk) (cont)} 13:13, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

Yes, but it's not so much a question of that wording (which we can change) - it's a question of how we set out his defining characteristics in the opening paragraph, beyond simply saying "he was a comedian". For example, to summarise words like: "... the last standing true vaudevillian... a force of nature, a whirlwind, an ambulant torrent of surreal invention, physical and verbal, whose Liverpudlian cheek masked the melancholy of an authentic clown". Ghmyrtle (talk) 13:21, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

PS: I've attempted some rewording. Happy to discuss further. Ghmyrtle (talk) 13:33, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

I agree with the thrust of your comment, but think that is only partially an improvement. The lead is still too short. I moved the 1st para of "comedy" to the lead (minus last sentence I think), but User:Ritchie333 moved it back, mistakenly imo. One could just quote the Guardian, though I'm doubtful about the "masked the melancholy of an authentic clown" bit. Critical/stylistic appreciation is usually best done by direct quotation from good sources imo. I'm not sure the Diddy Men are necessary in the lead. Johnbod (talk) 15:26, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

I've now slightly expanded the second paragraph, to include a couple of the points from Johnbod's earlier version. Ghmyrtle (talk) 17:00, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

The lead section is better now in my view after recent edits. Thanks for the expansion of the lead and improvements. Kind Tennis Fan (talk) 23:24, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

Trivia

There is an apocryphal story which says that Kenn Dodd once insured his teeth for £25,000 ... provided that he didn't eat any seaside rock sticks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.244.210.117 (talk) 09:31, 15 March 2018 (UTC)

References

Stage name

The first sentence in this article refers to him as "Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd". It could also state that he was generally known by his stage name, Ken Dodd. Vorbee (talk) 16:31, 16 March 2018 (UTC)

I don't think that's needed. Ken Dodd was his real name (including a common hypocorism which we don't need to mention) used throughout his career before (and indeed after) his relatively recent knighthood - it was not a stage name. Ghmyrtle (talk) 17:02, 16 March 2018 (UTC)

Categories

If one goes to the end of the categories, one can see "Ken Dodd". If one clicks on this category, we can see that the only article in it is this one. This makes one wonder whether we really need this category. Vorbee (talk) 20:05, 21 August 2018 (UTC)

We don't. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:24, 21 August 2018 (UTC)

Thatcher

Why does the article not mention that Dodd was a Conservative who publicly supported Margaret Thatcher? (86.132.155.150 (talk) 01:13, 28 April 2020 (UTC))

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• Ken Dodd with Bear cubs 1968.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 05:09, 26 January 2023 (UTC)