Ken Dodd’s followers knew they were in for a long show at Dudley Concert Hall last night.

The comic legend celebrated 50 years in the business with a non-stop marathon of jokes and songs for delighted fans.

Doddy was on stage for more than four hours of the five and a half hour show. “You lot will all have been reported missing,” he told the crowd at 10.30pm.

Not that the audience, made up of young and old alike, minded as they clearly loved every second of his unique brand of humour from the moment he bounded on stage waving his tickling sticks to his last sing-a-long of trademark song Happiness.

John and Barbara Oakley, aged 72 and 71, of Amblecote, Stourbridge, said: “The is the first time we have seen Ken. Everybody told us we would be here all night.”

Valma Lines, from Dudley, said: “Ken is one of the last comedy legends. I don’t think he is ever going to stop.”

First in the queue to get to their seats were Stanley and Joyce Fisher who had already seen Ken three times before but never in their hometown. Mr Fisher said: “He got a lot of stamina. I would be disappointed if it wasn’t morning when we came out.” Lois and Rebecca Merrick, aged 42 and 19, also from Dudley said: “He is just a classic comedian – there’s nobody like him.”

Everything is fair game to the comic whose recent hernia operation has obviously given him new material.

At one point Doddy even joked about the anaesthetists getting revenge for his lengthy shows by keeping him on the surgical table for five hours.