Lifting the veil on Britain’s greatest comic genius.

A new feature documentary film titled THE REAL KEN DODD: The Man I Loved will premiere at The Varieties on Sun 9 June 2024. Narrated by Miriam Margolyes and featuring interviews with stars such as Sir Ian McKellen, Paul O’Grady, and Jonny Vegas, the documentary delves into Doddy’s private world, revealing the secrets of his comic talent through never-before-seen home videos, stage performances, and extracts from his extensive diary notebooks.

Produced over four years with full access from Ken’s widow Lady Anne Dodd, fly-on-the-wall cameras follow Anne as she wrestles to preserve Ken’s comic and musical legacy and establish Doddy’s lifelong dream to build a British Comedy Museum. Along the way, Dodd’s legacy helps create a new Shakespeare Northern Globe theatre and ensures that Ken has become the first comic to have a national museum exhibition celebrating his 70 years of bringing ‘Happiness’ to audiences across Britain.

Screening includes a pre-show introduction and Q&A with Lady Anne Dodd.