BOLTON FM radio presenter Margaret Corston thought she was lucky just to be interviewing her hero Ken Dodd — but then the comedy legend invited her to meet him backstage at his next show to present her with her own tickling stick.

Mrs Corston, aged 78, has been presenting the show for four years and has interviewed the likes of David Attenborough and snooker stars Jimmy White and Dennis Taylor.

The comedian, aged 86, will be at the Albert Halls, Bolton, on Saturday, and after their chat he told Mrs Corston he will have a special surprise for her at the gig.

She said: “After a wonderful interview with Ken over the phone, I told him I would really like to meet him face to face.

"He said that when I go to see him at the Albert Halls he is going to present me with a tickling stick, which is one of his famous props — I’m not sure how he is going to do it, but I can’t wait.”

Mrs Corston said she was nervous before speaking with the comic. “I have wanted to interview him for such a long time,” she said.

“I have been a fan for many years and remember taking my daughter, who is now 41, to see him when she was a little girl.

“He immediately made me feel at ease and was a total gentleman. It was like sitting chatting to a friend for 20 minutes and I didn’t want it to end.

“He is absolutely fantastic and such a funny man and you can hardly believe he is 86 years of age. It’s incredible.”

The former legal secretary, who lives in Breightmet, presents a show with Doug Bagnall on Sundays, between 2pm and 4pm.

In 2011, she was given a prestigious award by the national institute of Adult Continuing Education for her broadcasting work.

She said: “I just absolutely love it. I love meeting and speaking to new people every day and I am going to keep it up for as long as I can.”