If you were watching TV on Saturday evenings in the late 1960s, the chances are you’d see the unmistakable toothy grin of Ken Dodd smiling back at you.
The Knotty Ash comedian was the host of Doddy’s Music Box produced in the North West from 1967 to 1968.
He was also the star of the BBC children’s show Ken Dodd and the Diddymen from 1969 to 1972.
Each episode of Doddy’s Music Box ran for 45 minutes and featured a fast-paced mixture of stand-up comedy, music and the occasional sketch.
Disc jockey and TV personality David Hamilton acted as Dodd’s straight-man – and was quickly christened Diddy David. The name stuck throughout his career!
Hamilton joined Radio 1 in November 1967 to present Family Choice and went on to host a string of programmes including Music Through Midnight, Pop Inn and Roundabout.
The biggest pop names of the day queued up to be on Doddy’s Music Box. They included Liverpool bands the Searchers and the Swinging Blue Jeans as well as singer Billy Fury.
Other singers on Doddy’s Music Box, filmed at the ABC studios in Didsbury, included Sandie Shaw and Welsh superstar Tom Jones.
Shaw’s career rocketed when she won the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest for Great Britain with Puppet on a String. She appeared twice on the Music Box.
The Hollies, Wayne Fontana and Freddie and the Dreamers also made appearances – along with Adam Faith, Dusty Springfield and The Dave Clark Five
The North West was the centre of the pop world in the early 1960s. Merseyside artists dominated the charts while the BBC TV’s Top of the Pops was filmed at the Dickenson Road studios in Manchester.
The first ever show was shot in Studio A on New Year’s Day 1964. It featured the Rolling Stones performing I Wanna Be Your Man and Dusty Springfield singing I Only Want To Be With You.
Every programme finished with the single topping that week’s chart. In January 1964 it was the Beatles with I Want to Hold Your Hand.
Of course, one of the biggest stars to appear on the weekly show was Ken Dodd himself – a major recording artist in his own right.
He sang a number of his own songs on Doddy’s Music Box too, including the 1964 hit Happiness which became his signature tune.
His single Tears topped the UK singles chart for five weeks in 1965 – and remains the UK’s third best-selling song of the 1960s.
After Music Box, Dodd stayed in Manchester to film Ken Dodd and the Diddymen, featuring seven puppets operated by Roger Stevenson.
The BBC produced 28 episodes of the children’s TV show at their Dickenson Road studios, each running for 10 minutes.
The Diddymen were mythical beings who mined the treacle and jam butty mines of Dodd’s home neighbourhood of Knotty Ash. Arthur Askey often referred to them in his act.
Leader of the Diddymen was Dicky Mint, who was based on Dodd himself and carried a tickling stick.
His sidekicks included well-spoken Nigel Ponsonby Smallpiece, complete with monocle and top hat, Harry Cot from Somerset, Mick the Marmalizer, kilt-wearing Hamish McDiddy and Little Evan.
Each Diddyman appeared in brightly coloured clothes, oversized shoes and usually a tall, furry hat.
On stage, the Diddymen were played by children or adults with dwarfism. TV star Carol Vorderman, who later found fame as the maths whizz on Countdown, was a Diddyman as a child.
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Featured Image: Sandie Shaw and Ken Dodd appear on the ABC Television Show ‘Doddy’s Music Box.’ They are pictured in the 1912 Rover car used in the show, which is filmed in Didsbury, Manchester. 24th January 1967. – Source: iNostalgia Publishing / MirrorPix
Former daily newspaper editor and group editorial director for leading national media brands, Malcolm is a regular contributor to the iNostalgia National History with a love for our national heritage.
