At theatre where he appeared 1,000 times

A statue has been erected to comedian Dave Lee outside the theatre where he appeared in more than 1,000 pantomime performances.

Although not a national star, the comic was hugely popular in Kent, and after his death in 2012 at 64, his funeral was held at Canterbury Cathedral.

A bronze figure of Lee sitting on a bench has now been unveiled outside the town’s Marlowe Theatre, where he was a festive feature for 16 years. The bench includes the inscription: ‘Well, we'll have to do it again then, won't we? Whoops!’ – a catchphrase he used into the pantos.

Richard Digance, Joe Pasquale and Brenda Blethyn were among around 100 people who watched yesterday’s ceremony.

In his lifetime, Lee raised more than £2 million for his charity, Dave Lee's Happy Holidays, which sent ill and disabled children and their families on trips.

And it was his fans who raised the £45,000 needed to build the statue.

Here is the crowd at the unveiling:

Published: 2 May 2014