Tony Nicholson Author

Tony Nicholson started his showbiz career in the 1970s as a comedy scriptwriter, writing jokes for no less than The Two Ronnies. He then became a television producer, making entertainment programmes for all the major channels, and earning him a highly-prized BAFTA Award. The two professions sat comfortably side by side throughout his working life – both writer and producer. Tony has been a lifelong Ken Dodd fan. He has written this affectionate and candid biography with Lady Dodd, not just as a showbusiness insider, who worked with Ken in the 1980s, but also as a genuine fan of Ken’s work. Tony Nicholson is the author of Shut That Door! – the definitive biography of comedian Larry Grayson. He has been married for over forty years and has two grownup sons. Originally from Yorkshire he now lives by the sea on the south coast of England. Anne, Lady Dodd, née Sybil Anne Jones, had her own showbusiness career, which started before she even met Ken. In the sixties, she was a dancer with the legendary Bluebell Girls on TV in Rome. Subsequently this troupe appeared for a Christmas season at The Manchester Opera House, where Ken Dodd was topping the bill. They met and started a friendship which lasted fifty six years and would blossom into a loving relationship and eventual marriage. Ken had always intended to write an autobiography, but never got round to it. As Ken’s most loyal fan, Anne wanted to be part of sharing the definitive Ken Dodd story with his many supporters, and revealing the human side of the comedy superstar who became her husband. Anne still lives in Ken’s childhood home in Knotty Ash with their poodle Rufus.