Ken Goodwin (7 April 1933 – 18 February 2012) was an English comedian, singer and musician best known for his performances on the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

Television show '' The Comedians''.Jamieson, Teddy (2004) "The Last Laugh", ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'', 15 May 2004, p. 20

Early life

He was born William Kenneth Unwin in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

. His father was a stoker. While he was still a child, his mother walked out on the family – an experience he blamed for his insecurity and shyness. His father died from cancer when Unwin was 15.

Career

Goodwin was a great fan of

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...

. He did various jobs and started performing in

working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class me ...

s, telling jokes and playing the

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

. He then performed on the

Royal Variety Show The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

in 1971 and in a summer season at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

, before his television break on '' Opportunity Knocks'' followed by '' The Comedians.'' He also appeared on BBC TVs '' The Good Old Days''. He was the first regular performer on ''The Comedians'' to receive his own solo show on television, as ATV gave him his own TV special in 1972. He was a regular guest on television variety up to 1973, mainly on the ITV channels, with his most memorable slot being on the David Nixon Show in 1973. After that, appearances on television dwindled due to his wife's illness. He appeared twice in 1974 and not at all from 1975 onwards. He failed to re-appear on television after he started performing again in 1977. He remained a regular and much sought-after live act, especially in Blackpool, and the reason for the demise of his television career is unclear, particularly as other members of ''The Comedians'' (Mike Reid, Charlie Williams, Bernard Manning, Frank Carson, Jim Bowen) overtook Goodwin to have much longer and more successful careers on TV. Goodwin was famous for his giggle and catchphrase, "settle down now" which he used a lot on '' The Comedians''. This phrase , ' Settle Down '/ ' Got to have Tenderness ' , was also used for his 1972 Single release , on

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

, written by

Tony Hatch Anthony Peter Hatch (born 30 June 1939) is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Early life and early career Hatch was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Encouraged by his mus ...

and

Jackie Trent Yvonne Ann Burgess (6 September 1940 – 21 March 2015), better known by her stage name Jackie Trent, was an English singer-songwriter and actress. She was best known for co-writing (with Tony Hatch) several hits for Petula Clark in the 1960s an ...

, one of a few 1970s releases; others were: ' Keep your Heart '/ ' I'm Alabamy Bound ' , '72 ; ' So Lucky '/ ' Just Like a Woman ' , '73 ; ' Memories '/ ' I Love How you Love Me ' , '76. There were three LP releases : ' Settle Down ' , '72 , on the Granada TV Label ; ' Memories ' , '76 ; and , ' Merry Christmas Darling ' , '79 , on the President Label.

Marriages

Ken married his first wife, Pat Earith in 1956. When she fell ill in 1974, Goodwin abandoned his career to care for her until her death in 1977. They had been married for 21 years. His second marriage was to singer and dancer Vicki Lane until his death in 2012.

Death

He died on 18 February 2012 of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

in a home in

Rhos-on-Sea Rhos-on-Sea ( cy, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos) is a seaside resort and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 7,593 at the 2011 census. It adjoins Colwyn Bay and is named after the Welsh kingdom of Rhos established there in late ...

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

having lived in nearby

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...

since his retirement.

References

External links

*
Goodwin - Another Good Time (YouTube)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Ken English male comedians English stand-up comedians Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in Wales 1933 births 2012 deaths Comedians from Manchester