Entertainment

I feel like a racehorse in the stalls, Sir Ken Dodd says ahead of being knighted

I feel like a racehorse in the stalls, Sir Ken Dodd says ahead of being knighted
I feel like a racehorse in the stalls, Sir Ken Dodd says ahead of being knighted I feel like a racehorse in the stalls, Sir Ken Dodd says ahead of being knighted

Veteran comedian Sir Ken Dodd said he was feeling like a jittery thoroughbred before a race as he arrived at Buckingham Palace to be dubbed a knight by the Duke of Cambridge.

The Liverpool star, known for his “tickling stick”, will be honoured during the investiture ceremony for an outstanding career in entertainment lasting more than 60 years, as well as his charity work.

Veteran comedian Sir Ken Dodd arrives at Buckingham Palace to be made a knight in recognition of a career in entertainment lasting more than 60 years, and his charity work. (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

He rose to fame with his Diddy Men characters who appeared with him on stage and TV, and he is still touring at the age of 89.

Dressed smartly in a morning suit and top hat, the entertainer said: “I feel like a racehorse in the stalls, just sweating a little – apprehensive but highly tickled.”

Tim Pigott-Smith at the Laurence Olivier Awards Nominations Luncheon at the Suffolk Hotel in London. (Ian West/PA Wire)

Acclaimed actor Tim Pigott-Smith will be awarded an OBE for a career on stage and screen that has lasted almost half a century.

He is best known for his theatre work in the West End and on Broadway, and has appeared opposite leading actresses like Dame Helen Mirren and led the theatre company Compass.