Comic called the resort 'the greatest show town in the world'

An exhibition celebrating the life and career of Ken Dodd is to open at Showtown, Blackpool’s museum of entertainment, in June – the first time the venue has hosted a visiting show.

Happiness! The Ken Dodd Exhibition will run from June 24 to January 3, 2027, and features a collection of personal and theatrical items drawn from the original show, which toured from Museum of Liverpool last year.

Visitors will be able to see Dodd’s stage costumes, props and original puppets – among them Dicky Mint, the character he described as the foreman of the Jam Butty Mines of Knotty Ash – alongside archive programmes, photographs and excerpts from private notebooks. 

There is also original performance footage and an interactive ’giggle map’, a touchscreen display charting the places and people Dodd encountered during his live shows around the country. 

Madame Tussauds Blackpool has also loaned its waxwork of Dodd – complete with tickling stick, see below –  for the duration of the exhibition.

Lady Anne Dodd, who will officially open the exhibition, and said her husband had a deep affection for the town. ’Ken absolutely adored Blackpool,’ she said. 'He called it "the greatest show town in the world", and so he would be thrilled to know that this exhibition featuring so many treasured pieces from his life and career is to be held at the museum whose name he inspired.’

Dodd performed at its theatres for decades, switched on the illuminations in 1966, and was involved in efforts to save the Grand Theatre in the 1970s. He also opened the Comedy Carpet on the Promenade in 2011, pictured above. 

Spencer Phillips, chairman of the Blackpool Museum & Heritage Trust, which runs Showtown, said the exhibition was a significant moment for the venue. ’Ken Dodd holds a truly special place in Britain’s entertainment story and his long-standing relationship with Blackpool makes this exhibition even more meaningful for the town,’ he said. 

Entry to the exhibition costs £3 for adults; children go free.  

Published: 27 May 2026