It always comes in threes

There were three celebrity deaths in the UK this week. Two people most of you haven’t heard of, one that you definitely would have.

The first one was Sir Ken Dodd. Inhabitant of Knotty Ash, introduced the world to the Diddymen. He was working right up to the end and his live shows were legendary. He cared not for run times. His shows would keep going as long as he wanted them to. He did get into trouble with the taxman for not paying his full tax, to which he joked that he shouldn’t have to because they’re called the inland revenue and he lived by the sea. He was also a successful singer, with his singles in the 60’s only being outsold by The Beatles.

The third was Jim Bowen. That’s him in the picture for his show Bullseye. A darts quiz show, famous for showing people who didn’t win the big prize what they could have won (which is kinda cruel really) and the fact the big prize was either a holiday, a car, a caravan or a speedboat. His jokes were corny, he had a load catchphrases (can’t beat a bit of bully, let’s have a look at what you could have won and, of course, stay out of the black and into the red, nothing in this game for two in a bed). He had a certain charm which was undeniable.

The one in between was, of course, Professor Stephen Hawking. The phrase once in a generation mind was made to describe him. He was absolutely exceptional, not just because of the theories he came up with, but for his writing. He also, by all accounts, had a wicked sense of humour:

He was also an avid campaigner for the NHS, which was made prominent when a Republican in the states said that if Hawking lived in the UK and had to rely on the NHS he’d be dead, to which Hawking replied that he did live in the UK, he did rely on the NHS and he was very much alive.

They all had a good innings. Dodd was 90, Bowen 80 and Hawking was 76 (but he was also not expected to live past 24).

To finish with, and to cheer you up after this slightly depressing entry, here’s Sir Ken Dodds best known song Happiness: