A tight 5: October 15

AN EXHIBITION charting half a century in Ken Dodd’s career is to open at The Museum of Liverpool next month. By Jove! It’s Ken Dodd! will feature about 50 photographs taken by Stephen Shakeshaft, the picture editor of the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo. Curator Paul Gallagher said: ‘Having seen the honesty and warmth captured in his shots of Ken, it’s quite clear they have developed a particularly special relationship, that has enabled Stephen to portray a rarely-seen side of Ken Dodd.’ The show opens on November 8 and runs until April.

THE TUNNEL, the short film about Malcolm Hardee’s notorious London comedy club, has been selected for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam next month. Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work, Richard Pryor: Omit The Logic and Whoopi Goldberg’s movie about Moms Mabley are also in the ‘stand-up documentary’ section of the event, which runs from November 20 to December 1.

ERIC MORECAMBE’s widow Eric Morecambe’s widow, Joan, has lent her voice to the campaign to save Blackpool’s ABC Theatre from demolition. The council wants to level the former music hall, built 1895, and replace it with a car park. But in a letter, Joan, 87, said: ‘I have such happy memories of Morecambe and Wise appearing at the ABC Theatre. I hope there will be a change of heart and this part of Blackpool history will be kept alive.’

APPLICATIONS have opened for the 2014 NATY new act of the year competition. Interested comedians, who have been going for more than a year but is not yet a full-time professional, should email newactoftheyear@gmail.com with ‘NATYS14’ in the subject line. Auditions start on Monday.

KENYA is getting its first ever comedy awards. Accolades are being handed out at St. Andrew's Church in Nairobi on Sunday.

Published: 15 Oct 2013