Ken Dodd

The former chief exec of Channel 4 goes in search of the origins of the joke and attempts to discover its earliest example. So he starts in Liverpool with comedy legend Ken Dodd. Trawling history for evidence of what tickled our ancestors, Grade discovers it was basically the same mother-in-law gags and references to anal wind we all love so much now. Interesting contributions come from Tim Vine and the ever-sharp Barry Cryer. Seriously, he must sleep in an amber cave.

A shame that what could have been an entertaining foray into the history of joke-telling should be so lacking in humour. There's nothing inherently wrong with the premise of the documentary in which Michael Grade asks whether there is such a thing as a new joke or whether we are laughing at the same things our ancestors did - it's just that it's all a little boring. Ken Dodd, Barry Cryer and Tim Vine are among those pointing the way as Grade discovers what Romans and Tudors found funny, why lettuce was once thought amusing, why a 14th century papal secretary was responsible for one of the first joke books and why the BBC once censored some jokes - chambermaids and lodgers were among the banned topics.

Was there ever a time when Ken Dodd wasn't waving his tickling stick while firing off more gags than most of us ever learn in a lifetime? Now 85, the indefatigable jester of Knotty Ash is still knocking 'em in the aisles up and down the country with his famously overlong shows.

In How Tickled I've Been, Liza Tarbuck paid tribute to the comic with the help of Roy Hudd, the bishop of Liverpool, The Guardian's Michael Billington - a steadfast Doddy-holic - and her dad Jimmy, who does a very good impression of his fellow Liverpudlian.

The tax evasion court case that sullied his reputation briefly in the late 1980s - he was eventually acquitted - was mentioned only in terms of Dodd's ability to bounce back from adversity. The humiliating three-week trial was followed by a record-breaking 40-week engagement at the London Palladium, during which he introduced himself as "Kenneth Arthur Dodd, comedian, photographic playboy and failed accountant".

The one-time travelling salesman said he had the most wonderful job: "I only get to see people when they're happy."

Liza Tarbuck tries to get a straight word out of the unique talent that is Ken Dodd. After nearly 60 years in the business, his typically British brand of whimsy always raises a smile and a host of contemporaries line up here to pay tribute.

How in-depth it gets remains to be seen, but if anyone can pin the mile-a-minute gagster down, it's the ever-professional Liza.

If you are of a certain age and are feeling bored in the no-man's-land between Christmas and New Year, watch this 1994 museum piece, scrutinise the audience and play Spot the Face. You can even tune out the remorseless Ken Dodd, who never seems to draw breath as he makes gags about Scunthorpe, Nigel Mansell and Scotsmen in kilts (this is a different time, a generation in comedy terms) as you scour the celebrity faces. Look, it's Diddy David Hamilton! Alf Roberts from Coronation Street! And Kevin Whately looking about 19!

Ken Dodd: Still tickling nation's funny bone

Ken Dodd has been making people laugh for almost 60 years and with his legendary Happiness tour back in Yorkshire he talks to The Yorkshire Post.

Ken Dodd criticises Punch and Judy reboot

Comedian Ken Dodd says the use of contemporary figures such as Boris Johnson, Simon Cowell and Prince Harry in a new version of Punch and Judy is "awful".

The return of the series in which the interviewee becomes the interviewer in the following week's programme opens with the writer, actor and comedian Jeremy Front asking questions of the writer, actor and comedian Rebecca Fron. Fans of the recent and superb Incredible Women series will know that the brother and sister have already proven their comedy worth as a Radio 4 double act, but this takes it to a more intimate level with discussions about their shared memories. Jeremy soon realised that his younger sister was ripe for ribbing and began years of mental torture involving a pixie and Ken Dodd. He's heard all of Rebecca's anecdotes before, but we haven't, so he's kind enough to encourage her to let rip. The Mike Leigh audition story is truly hilarious.

Ken Dodd: I've lasted 60 years in comedy

Ken Dodd has been performing for nearly 60 years, and despite being in his 80s shows no sign of slowing down.

A week in radio: Ken Dodd

Night Waves is always good, and often excellent. This week's stand-out programme was Matthew Sweet's interview with Ken Dodd. Yes, Ken Dodd. On Radio 3.