Ken Dodd

One episode should have been enough for this two-part documentary, which concludes by showing how television brought the demise of variety theatre and became the entertainment of choice. It's also achingly luvvie, as Grade recalls the heyday of the London Palladium ("the temple of show business") and talks to the entertainers who managed to make the transition from stage to small screen, among them Bruce Forsyth and Ken Dodd. Grade also looks at the impact of acts such as Morecambe and Wise, tells how ITV initially stole a march on the BBC in the variety stakes and gives a nod to an impresario who was a precursor to Simon Cowell.

Tickling schtick: The wit of Ken Dodd

Who says variety is dead? Ken Dodd has been on the road for six decades and can still slay a crowd. Michael Coveney meets him on his marathon tour.

This might look like yet another excuse to wallow in light entertainment's golden era and be reminded once again of Eric & Ernie, Frankie Howerd et al. But while a dire clip of Max Miller may make you wonder quite how golden this era actually was, this is largely wonderful stuff, rich with anecdotes told by veteran showbiz raconteurs. Variety didn't just involve comedy, but jugglers, musicians, hoofers, and acts who spent their entire careers doing just one turn. Among those recalling the high jinks and dismal lodgings of those bygone days are Ken Dodd, Val Doonican, Roy Hudd and Mike Winters.

Enter a lost world of entertainment with this celebration of the postwar heyday of variety. Michael Grade is our qualified guide - he joined the family theatrical agency in 1966 - and delivers a warm and funny show, full of good anecdotes. That's because he lets veteran entertainers and agents do much of the talking - Val Doonican, Doreen Wise (widow of Ernie), Bruce Forsyth, Ken Dodd, Roy Hudd, Barry Cryer and Janet Brown among them. Although largely filmed at the London Palladium, many of their recollections concern the third-rate halls or "number threes" - Attercliffe Palace in Sheffield and Bilston Theatre Royal keep cropping up. Unforgettable, but for all the wrong reasons, as are tales of theatrical digs. In contrast, a parade of clips features comics, ventriloquists, dancers, jugglers and animal acts - from Max Miller to Memory Man, and Kardoma the flag act to Koringa the lady snake charmer. Nostalgia, social history... however you label it, there's nothing po-faced about this supremely entertaining show.

Video: Ken Dodd interview

Veteran funny man, 82-year-old Ken Dodd, tells Newsnight why he has no plans to hang up his tickling stick.

Ken Dodd on comedy, Simon Cowell - and retirement

In a rare interview, the veteran comedian tells Stephen Smith why, even at 82, he has no plans to quit.

Ken Dodd, 82, wows the crowds with five-hour shows

Half-past one in the morning and I am sitting in Ken Dodd's dressing room drinking warm beer out of a pink tupperware mug, being berated about my pouring technique - 'Oooh never pour a lager like that, Lady Fryer. What are you thinking?' - and learning how to handle a 2,000-strong audience.

Eastern Airways plane named after comedian Ken Dodd

Veteran comedian Ken Dodd is to have a plane named after him by regional airline Eastern Airways.

A special caricature of the famous son of Knotty Ash has been painted on the fuselage of the Jetstream 41 aircraft as tribute to the star.

Dodd, 82, will be present at the unveiling at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Famed for his tickle sticks, he launched the year-old airline last July with plates full of jam sandwiches.

The Beatles: bigger than Ken Dodd - but only just

They called them the Swinging Sixties, so it comes as no surprise that there are four Beatles singles in the top five in a new compilation of the best-selling singles of the decade.

Ken Dodd 'top selling 60s star'

He is better known for his tickling stick and Diddy Men but new research shows Ken Dodd was one of the biggest selling chart stars of the 60s, beaten only by The Beatles.