Take a look inside the new Ken Dodd Happiness! exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool

A laughter-filled exhibition celebrating one of the UK's best-loved and most influential comedians, Sir Ken Dodd, is on display at the Museum of Liverpool.

It’s the first major exhibition on a comedian in a national museum and is steeped in Doddy’s unique blend of whimsical, physical, surreal and theatrical humour, which transformed the UK comedy scene.

Exhibition curator Karen O'Rourke told LiverpoolWorld: "How could we not put on an exhibition about the man that was voted the greatest Merseysider. He’s a bit like the Beatles - everyone in Liverpool has got a Ken Dodd story."

Many of the objects featured in 'Happiness!' have been loaned to the museum by Ken's wife, Anne, Lady Dodd. she said: "A lot of it is our stuff and quite a bit is stuff that fans have given to them and to see it altogether is absolutely incredible. It is the story of his life really that’s what so wonderful."

Dating back to 1954, Ken began keeping meticulous notes on his comedy performances. Over his lifetime he filled more than 1,000 notebooks, which were private, and only ever intended to be seen by him. In fact in later life, Ken repeatedly made his wife, Anne, promise to burn them all ‘after I’m gone’.

After much soul-searching, she decided that they were too culturally significant and needed to be saved. The notebooks will be kept largely private, but exclusively for this exhibition, Anne has agreed to share snippets from this important archive of a comedy genius and great philosopher.

From the Diddymen to the Broken Biscuit Repair Works, Ken's imagination was both endless and infectious. Through never-before-seen personal objects, film, photography, interactives and of course many, many jokes, this 'tattyfilarious' exhibition aims to raise a smile on the face of visitors.

'Happiness!' Is on display until 3 March 2024.

Watch the video above for a peek inside the Ken Dodd Happiness! exhibition and to hear more from Lady Anne Dodd and curator Karen O’Rourke.