You may not be aware of who Ken Dodd is. A surreal stand-up, family-friendly Liverpudlian comedian and ventriloquist, Dodd began his career in the 1950s but really had his heyday in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s. He is a distinctive looking man—his prominent features, a head of fluffy wild hair and protruding teeth, were often accompanied by a red, white and blue feather duster, a prop that Dodd called his tickle stick…

Her dream wedding dress hung on a door in her parents’ home. She had spared no expense buying a £2,000 gown. Today, September 6, 2003, was meant to be her big day; she was supposed to be getting ready. Instead, Deborah Pemberton was waiting anxiously with plain-clothes police for the phone to ring…