R I P Sir Ken Dodd (90)

[JohnW]

A sad loss - almost the last of the old school of comics from the 1960s and earlier. No-one can match his unique brand of humour. And no-one can replace him. R.I.P.

Yeah - +1 to that.

[mjr]

well he had a good innings. I didnt like his type of humour though. made me cringe, seemed very dated when current.

Yes - he was more irritating than funny.

Really? I think what was seen on TV was mostly very different and not as good as his live act, which was silly yet clever and funny with it. That said, I only saw the first half of his show because I left at the interval at 11pm so I could get back to where I was staying. I think I heard later that it turned out to be one of his shorter performances, finishing about 2am.

[reohn2]

well he had a good innings. I didnt like his type of humour though. made me cringe, seemed very dated when current.

Yes - he was more irritating than funny.

If Doddy made you cringe or you found him irritating,you'll have to be content with being in a very small minority,and if you didn't personally like his humour at least admit that he made the vast majority happy.
His talent didn't stop there either,he was quite a talented singer too or aleast his many hits testify.

You can't please all the people all thetime but at least he tried

[pete75]

well he had a good innings. I didnt like his type of humour though. made me cringe, seemed very dated when current.

Yes - he was more irritating than funny.

If Doddy made you cringe or you found him irritating,you'll have to be content with being in a very small minority,and if you didn't personally like his humour at least admit that he made the vast majority happy.
His talent didn't stop there either,he was quite a talented singer too or aleast his many hits testify.

You can't please all the people all thetime but at least he tried

You may have a point but given this thing was one of his admirers and I don't mind being in a minority....

[JohnW]

[quote="pete75"]

I've edited my post by removing the picture that I referred to and removing my comment.

[pete75]

To give him his due he doesn't look overly enamoured with the experience......

[661-Pete]

Being photographed shaking hands with a prominent politician does not suggest, to me, endorsing that politician's views. Ken Dodd was a better man than that, I think!

And, for all that I despised Thatcher and her policies when she was in office, I think that if I'd ever been introduced to her, I'd have shaken hands with her too. After all, it's merely the common courtesy of recognising someone as a fellow human being, however odious! For the record, I've never shaken hands with any PM, past or present. I did once meet Harold Wilson as I was coming out of a lift, but he was surrounded by his bodyguards.

And I recall that I may indeed have been one of those who suffered moderation on this forum, following an eruption of less-than-complimentary threads following the demise of said Dear Leaderene, a few years back. At least I wasn't moderated over a thread about 'mouldy bread' that I recall starting at about the same time...

[bigjim]

A thoroughly decent man. I'm glad he lived so long - and that he married his partner before the end.

I think that was more to do with Inheritance tax.

[kwackers]

I used to work in Martins Bank Building in Liverpool, a fine example of what money could buy in the 1930's.
As a result it was often used by film companies to shoot scenes - usually well after we'd gone home.

For reasons that now escape me Mr Dodd came around one evening and Ms Kwackers was chosen to show him around, I briefly met him on the way out and he seemed nice enough although a bit too 'me' (I guess all 'show folk' are probably like that and when I read TC's post above I did wonder what the poor delivery guy had to endure. I suspect he quite liked a captive audience).

Ms Kwackers spent somewhat longer with him and thought he was a bit too "full on" and "touchy feely" - not in an overtly sexual way, but enough to make her feel uncomfortable.
That of course might have just the sort of person he was and she's not used to strangers being so touchy feely and insisting on holding hands all the time.

He's not really my cup of tea although as a child he did gift me with the ability to sing about my todger being "the greatest gift that I posses" in front of my elders for which I'm eternally grateful...
(Yes, I know it was a cover.)

[reohn2]

A thoroughly decent man. I'm glad he lived so long - and that he married his partner before the end.

I think that was more to do with Inheritance tax.

Wold you blaim him for that?

[pete75]

He's not really my cup of tea although as a child he did gift me with the ability to sing about my todger being "the greatest gift that I posses" in front of my elders for which I'm eternally grateful...

Am laughing out loud

[JohnW]

Being photographed shaking hands with a prominent politician does not suggest, to me, endorsing that politician's views. Ken Dodd was a better man than that, I think!

And, for all that I despised Thatcher and her policies when she was in office, I think that if I'd ever been introduced to her, I'd have shaken hands with her too. After all, it's merely the common courtesy of recognising someone as a fellow human being, however odious! For the record, I've never shaken hands with any PM, past or present. I did once meet Harold Wilson as I was coming out of a lift, but he was surrounded by his bodyguards.

And I recall that I may indeed have been one of those who suffered moderation on this forum, following an eruption of less-than-complimentary threads following the demise of said Dear Leaderene, a few years back. At least I wasn't moderated over a thread about 'mouldy bread' that I recall starting at about the same time...

+1 to all that Pete - except I never met Harold Wilson.

I did once meet Doddy - about 1957/58 I'd think - I was still a schoolboy. We were at Blackpool for holiday (please don't hold that against me - Blackpool was different then) and we'd been to his show at one of the piers (Central Pier, I think). His show was brilliant and unusually both my mother and myself were laughing - he had such a wide appeal. After the show we all (kids) scrambled at the security cabin for his autograph, and he spoke to us all individually. To me, he asked if I was on holiday - I said that I was - and he said "send us a funny postcard - with a good joke on it".

I was once in a hotel in the Isle of Man, and he walked off the street into the reception area.............no fuss, no flouncing, no looking around for recognition, no seeking priority, just kind and humble to the young lady who asked if she could help him. When he'd moved on, everyone there looked at each other and said something along the lines of "Oooooooooh".

[JohnW]

A thoroughly decent man. I'm glad he lived so long - and that he married his partner before the end.

I think that was more to do with Inheritance tax.

Wold you blaim him for that?

No. I wouldn't blame him John - none of my business anyway.

[661-Pete]

I did once meet Doddy - about 1957/58 I'd think - I was still a schoolboy. We were at Blackpool for holiday (please don't hold that against me - Blackpool was different then) and we'd been to his show at one of the piers (Central Pier, I think).

Whilst we're on the 'hobnobbing' topic - that takes me back to exactly the same year - 1957. We were also enjoying a seaside holiday - not at Blackpool but at either Saundersfoot or Tenby in South Wales. While I was playing on the beach one day, a middle-aged, rather academic-looking gentleman came up to us and introduced himself, and chatted to me for a while. I should point out that I have no recollection of this event, it's what my parents told me long after.

It turned out that the gentleman was Sir Julian Huxley, the eminent biologist, brother of novelist Aldous, and grandson of Darwin's associate T.H. Huxley. I still wonder whether I gave him a 'biology lesson' about the creatures and shells I'd found on the beach.

Someone who may not have been quite so well-known as Doddy, perhaps, he moved in somewhat more exalted circles.

Apart from that, my encounters with the rich and famous have been few and far between...

[bigjim]

A thoroughly decent man. I'm glad he lived so long - and that he married his partner before the end.

I think that was more to do with Inheritance tax.

Wold you blaim him for that?

No. Would you?