mostly david ephgrave

I just wanted to write a little addendum to last night’s piece on Ken Dodd's death. This morning, I listened to the 2013 documentary celebrating Dodd's life, titled ‘How Tickled I Am’ and found it both interesting and amusing in equal parts, but there was something he said right at the end of the programme that touched me enough to note down. It was while discussing with clear joy what he did for a living that he exclaimed, “All the rotten jobs people have to do, and here's me, I have this wonderful job where I only see people happy; I only see them smiling. How wonderful is that?" What a lovely way to put it; I’d never thought of a comedian’s job that way. For someone like Dodd who was a notorious workaholic who’d do five-hour-long shows as a matter of course, his level of commitment suddenly makes sense when framed like that; why would you want to stop, when you’re playing to a room filled with such delight? It r...

The past few days have been sad ones for the comedy industry, what with the loss of two old-time comic greats, Ken Dodd and Jim Bowen. I never got to see one of Dodd’s infamously epic shows in person, which was a shame, as it would have been fascinating to see a performer of almost unparalleled experience at work. I actually tried to book him twice for Mostly Comedy, which didn’t work out, which was a pity, as it would have been a real coup for the club and a solid learning experience. Hearing Ted Robbins eulogise Ken Dodd on BBC Breakfast on Monday served to reiterate just how distinctive his comic voice was; Robbins inevitably slipped a couple of his gags into conversation, and not only were they perfect, you could also hear Dodd’s delivery in the air (as opposed to in his hair, which was another trademark). There aren’t many comedians who can be present in their own jokes while also not being there. As for Jim Bowen, I was lucky enough t...