A place dedicated to happiness
What to expect in The Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre | Latest NW arts news
You may have already seen the news that Liverpool’s Royal Court won planning permission for The Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre, a £15m development next to the theatre that will house his archive. Gillian Miller, the Royal Court’s CEO, has told me on a number of occasions how excited she is to be creating a centre dedicated to happiness, particularly at a time when so many people are struggling in their everyday lives. Several weeks after our last chat I can still picture her face when she talks about it. It’s stayed with me because her expression was so excited and enthusiastic about what they are creating.
The last time I saw Doddy, I was running a campaign for the Echo to encourage people to read together for pleasure and I’d asked him if he would be filmed talking about his favourite book and why reading has brought him so much joy. I managed to find the clip of him reading from it on YouTube - you can watch it below.
I was invited with a videographer into his library in a house just down the road from his home in Knotty Ash, where the walls were lined with shelves filled with books about comedy. But his very favourite was one from his childhood - “first book I was ever really enthralled by” - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graeme: “For a grown man it’s probably a bit whimsical, but it’s a beautifully written book and it all comes to life on the pages,” he said at the time.
Perhaps his copy will be among the items in his archive when it goes on display in The Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre. In any case, I was keen to go beyond the press release and find out more about plans - so in the main piece in today’s Stored Honey I get the lowdown from the Royal Court’s Iain Christie.
The mantra that happiness is the greatest gift we possess runs through this project like rock
“Remember, Laughter is the best medicine in the world” - not Sir Ken Dodd’s most hilarious quote perhaps but certainly one of his most poignant. He’s right, we should all remember it, but when you’re juggling life’s many minutiae it’s easy to forget to make time for a chuckle.
Soon there will be a reminder of the value of laughter, jollity and joy in Liverpool’s cityscape - a grand statement of the importance of happiness in the form of a new four-storey building constructed next to the Royal Court. This week came the news that planning permission has been granted for The Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre, a £15m development dedicated to Liverpool’s rich comedy heritage. As well as becoming a permanent home to The Sir Ken Dodd archive and the Happiness exhibition, which closed in July after an extended run at the Museum of Liverpool, it will house comedy-based workshops, talks and performances.
‘We want the city to feel this is their space and a place for them to explore’
Designed by Stirling Prize-winning architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, the company behind the theatre’s recent extensive refurbishment, it’s being funded by a number of sources, primarily the Sir Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation. It will be built on the site currently occupied by Courtyard Bar & Kitchen, which will be replaced by a new 100-seat restaurant within the centre. Building work is planned to begin in 2025, with the doors opening in 2027 to mark what would have been Doddy’s 100th birthday.
I caught up with the Royal Court’s Iain Christie to find out more.
Why is a centre of happiness important?
There are two reasons; first this will be the only place dedicated to both comedy and the joy that brings. Sir Ken Dodd was such an important figure and his legacy is about bringing happiness through comedy. The work The Comedy Trust already does with the Sir Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation is about how that happiness transforms your wellbeing and your mental health.
So it is a place to learn about comedy, to explore the incredible career of Sir Ken Dodd and the impact that ethos of happiness can have. It it’s also about the importance of having a place dedicated to happiness, which is a significant thing in our modern world.
As well as Sir Ken Dodd’s archive, what can people expect to see/experience there?
The Happiness Centre will celebrate all forms of comedy and humour and provide opportunities for all to take part in a wide range of programmes, workshops and sessions with comedy, humour, health and wellbeing at their heart.
Through the lens of Doddy, Liverpool’s most famous entertainer, it will highlight and explore Liverpool humour and the role the city played in becoming a cradle of entertainment for countless comedians. The centre will also explore how comedy and humour defines Liverpudlians, why the city is known world-wide for its wit and humour and how we can use laughter and humour to make us feel better and improve wellbeing.
‘So many people have a story of when they saw Sir Ken Dodd or when they met him and you do see their faces light up when they tell that story. That’s real legacy, isn’t it?’
What are the next steps in getting it open?
We’re currently asking people what they want to see in the building as we do want the city to feel this is their space and a place for them to explore. As plans develop, this will feed into what people will see.
Why do you think Sir Ken Dodd continues to mean so much to the people of Liverpool and further afield?
There’s a lot of joy there and people have memories of this man who was so rooted to the city. So many people have a story of when they saw Sir Ken Dodd or when they met him and you do see their faces light up when they tell that story. That’s real legacy, isn’t it? That sense of touching people’s lives, of improving people’s lives, and doing that through bringing joy is especially important. That mantra that Happiness is the greatest gift we possess is such a significant one, and it runs through this project like rock.
Comedy is one of the country’s greatest imports, and Liverpool is the home of so much of that comedy, so having a place to celebrate and explore that art form is a fitting tribute to a fabulous legacy.
What do you want to see in the Happiness Centre? Have your say.
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Last chance to see
Thank you for reading this week’s Stored Honey. I’ll be taking a break next week to have a rest and get ready for September when the arts scene starts ramping up again. It won’t be a total rest however, as paid members will of course still receive their exclusive monthly guide.
In the meantime, you can get in touch with me on Instagram, in the comments or by replying to this email.
Have a great week,
Laura