Ken Dodd opens Shifnal Festival

Legendary comedian Ken Dodd entertained hundreds of fans at a free gig near Wolverhampton to celebrate 55 years as performer.

Scouse singer and stand-up Ken Dodd, left the 250-strong sell-out show waiting twenty minutes before taking to the stage at the Haughton Hall Hotel, Shifnal, last night, opening this year's Shifnal Festival.

With five decades of experience behind him, and hundreds of one-liners at his disposal, the 83-year-old had the expectant audience in stitches from start to finish during the four-hour spectacle. Focusing his material on Shropshire, Shifnal, and the regional rivalry with Wolverhampton, Ken Dodd tickled the audience as often as his tickling sticks made an appearance.

"This is my anniversary, 55 years in show businesses," said the enterainer, who performs at Stafford Gatehouse tomorrow night. "This is going to be my best show yet," he told the crowd. "Fifty five years dreaming of stardom, the bright lights, beautiful people, Champagne, then suddenly waking up and finding yourself in Shifnal."

An appreciative local audience lapped up the mock-attack on their town, while Dodd continued. "Shifnal, what kind of a name is that? It sounds like something you'd make up in Scrabble."

Accompanied by a pianist and drummer, he soon mixed up the material showing his versatility as a real variety show performer.

He sung a wide range of songs, a comedy medley incorporating his favourites from the many eras he has performed in, starting sing-a-longs with the amiable audience, to some of his own standards, including Think Of Me, and of course, Happiness.

Despite his advancing years, Dodd's energy outlasted many in the audience.