The Ken Dodd Happiness Show
Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield Halls, Saturday, March 15, 7pm. Tickets, costing £22.50, available on 0208 688 9291 or www.fairfield.co.uk
VETERAN funnyman Ken Dodd brings his Tickling Stick and Diddymen back to Croydon for another of his marathon mirth fests.
Despite having turned 86 at the end of last year, the comedy legend is still committed to performing live and audiences are advised to come prepared. Dodd's epic shows have been known to go beyond four hours and he is in the Guinness Book of World Records for telling 1,500 jokes in a single show.
He is no stranger to Croydon, most recently in 2009. During his 2003 performance at Fairfield, Dodd was presented with The Living Legend Award from the British Comedy Society.
The Scouser made his professional debut at the Empire Theatre, Nottingham, in September 1954 and has performed across the country – and the world.
Dodd has compiled a Giggle Map which tells him what makes people laugh in different parts of the country. He said he prepares for a gig in Croydon by "bringing out all my Noel Coward notes and cross referencing them with the Max Miller," but no one knows if he was being serious.
One topic bound to come up is his approach to taxes. Despite being one of the few controversies in his long career, Dodd is still often asked about his 1989 court case for tax evasion.
While he was acquitted, a number of points put forward by the prosecution have stuck with him – most notably that he hid over £300,000 in cash in suitcases in his attic.
Rather than shy away from this, Dodd has incorporated the experience into his act, often introducing himself with the line "Good evening, my name is Kenneth Arthur Dodd; singer, photographic playboy and failed accountant!"
