A new exhibition celebrating legendary 'son of the city' Sir Ken Dodd has come to Liverpool and these pictures show visitors what they can expect.
Sir Ken's comedic legacy lives on in the city and beyond and major new exhibition celebrating the much-loved comedian will open in Liverpool this Saturday, September 9. Located at the Museum of Liverpool, ‘Happiness!’ is the first major exhibition on a comedian in a national museum and is steeped in Doddy’s unique blend of whimsical, physical, surreal and theatrical humour.
Open until March 3, 2024, today the ECHO had a first look at the exciting exhibition, courtesy of Curator Karen O’Rourke. Many of the objects featured in ‘Happiness!’ have been kindly loaned to the museum by Ken's wife, Anne, Lady Dodd.
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Sir Ken died on March 12, 2018 and the exhibition explores the two sides of the much-loved Doddy - "from the larger than life, quick-witted performer we know best, to the deep-thinker and private man off stage." Karen O’Rourke, Curator (Sport, Music AND Performance) told the ECHO: "It's a celebration of the life and career of Sir Ken Dodd and it's in our new exhibition space so it's quite a task but it's been so much fun at the same time.
"He was voted the greatest Merseysider, he is a son of the city, he was a beloved son of the city, so it was a bit of a no brainer really. We tell so many stories across the museum and they change over time and this will change, it won't be here forever but it's just nice to be able to do that in focus look at one individual."
At the beginning, the team saw a connection between live theatre and audience across Sir Ken's work and were inspired to give a nod to the Royal Court in the exhibition. Karen said: "The Royal Court allowed us to spend hours just roaming around, so we got front stage photos and backstage photos and then our designer took that concept.
"You can start at lobby of the theatre and then you can go through to the main performance area which is in gorgeous Royal Court colours of golds and reds and then as you look back through the exhibition you'll see the backstage bits which are the none performing bits of Sir Ken's life - the stories of his charity work and him being a Liverpool legend and creating the Diddymen."
Are you planning on visiting the Happiness! exhibition? Let us know in the comments section below.
Coming into the the main performance area, the first thing visitors will see is the famous moggy coat made by Lady Dodd for Ken and mementos focusing on the early days of Ken. The theatre area looks at Ken as a pioneer in theatre and music, featuring programmes from the London Palladium where he trailblazed with a 42-week run that's never been beaten and a look at his singing career and number one single Tears from 1965.
In the backstage section, visitors can take a closer looks at his non-performance life, from the creation of the Diddymen to Diddyland and his relationship with his fans. Karen said: "It's been mentioned quite a few times that we could have filled this gallery three, four, five times over with the amount of content that was available to us, both through Lady Dodd's own personal collection and through material that we had and through material that was available like the film footage and the images.
"It was difficult to choose but often in an exhibition like this it tells its own story and you let it go and that's the best situation." One area is dedicated to Sir Ken's early TV and radio career where he became a household name after establishing himself in the world of theatre, as well as more pieces from his music career.
Also in the exhibition is iconic props that became synonymous with Ken Dodd's act, from his much-loved Dicky Mint to the famous Tickling Sticks. The exhibition features several more of his eccentric costumes as well as theatre bills, programmes and posters and there's also the "creating a legend" and "making a difference" sections to be seen.
Lady Dodd's story and career with her late husband also has an important place in the exhibition. Karen said from start to finish Lady Dodd has been "amazing work with and absolutely supportive" of the project.
Dating back to 1954, the life-long Knotty Ash comedian began keeping meticulous notes on his comedy performances and over his lifetime he filled more than 1,000 private notebooks. Despite asking his wife to burn them, Lady Dodd decided they needed to be saved and will now feature in the exhibition.
Never been seen before, they contrast pieces on display that have appeared on stage or in screens and are a fascinating insight into the mind of the much-loved entertainer. The exhibition is also interactive, with a giggle map inviting people to "test their chuckle muscles" buttons to make "nonsense noises" to bring a smile to visitors faces.
Throughout the exhibition, you can also recognise famous faces from the industry who hail from Merseyside and beyond who inspired Sir Ken and who he worked with during his career.
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Tickets for ‘Happiness!’ are on sale now. Adult tickets cost £5, with concessions available. Members of National Museums Liverpool visit for free. For further details and to book tickets, click here.
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