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Jason John Manford (born 26 May 1981) is an English comedian, presenter, actor and singer. Manford was a team captain on the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

panel show ''

8 Out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on Channel 4 and its sister networks, airing since 3 June 2005. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr; the current team captains are Rob Beckett and Katherine Ryan. The show is based ...

'' from 2007 until 2010 and has presented numerous television shows for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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and

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 ...

including ''Comedy Rocks'' (2010–2011), ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...

'' (2010), ''

Show Me the Funny ''Show Me the Funny'' is a British reality show in which a group of ten comedians of varying experience visit ten different cities around the UK, performing tasks that are somehow meant to equip them with local knowledge to work into five-minute- ...

'' (2011), '' A Question of Sport: Super Saturday'' (2014), ''

Bigheads ''Bigheads'' is a British television game show produced by Primal Media that aired on ITV (TV channel), ITV From 23 April 2017 until 28 May 2017 and is hosted by Jason Manford with Jenny Powell and Kriss Akabusi as commentators. Contestants we ...

'' (2017) "Starstruck" (2022) and '' Children In Need'' (2022) Manford has starred in numerous stage musicals in the West End and across the UK such as ''Sweeney Todd'', ''The Producers'', ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'', ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'' and ''Curtains''.

Early life

Jason John Manford was born in

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

on 26 May 1981, the son of Sharon (née Ryan) and courtroom stenographer and

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

Shop Steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...

in the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

Ian Manford. His maternal grandmother, Nora (née Peate), was an

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

.Interview, ''

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...

'', 28 June 2010. Manford and his four siblings grew up in a

terraced house In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...

in the Whalley Range area of

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 ...

. He attended St. Margaret's Primary School in Whalley Range, and later

Chorlton High School Chorlton High School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England. It has around 1500 pupils and 300 in each year. History Grammar school There was a "Chorlton High School" in th ...

(at the time known as Oakwood High School). He formed a band in school with two friends, Simon and Neil, with his mother later saying that this was what got him into singing. During a Twitter exchange in which Manford defended strike action undertaken by British Railway workers in the

ASLEF The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) is a British trade union representing train drivers. It is part of the International Transport Workers' Federation and the European Transport Workers' Federation. At the end of ...

, Manford recalled the various workplaces he had worked in before his current career including building sites, call centres, shops, bars, warehouses and offices, stating "I didn't just leave school and say 'right, I'm off to play the arena!. While working as a glass collector at a local pub, Manford became interested in comedy after watching the likes of

Eddie Izzard Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's stand- ...

Peter Kay Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books. Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...

and

Johnny Vegas Michael Joseph Pennington (born 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, overweight appearance, angry comedic rants, and us ...

perform at the local comedy club. Kay recommended him to undertake an HND in media and performance at the

University of Salford , caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford , mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things" , established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...

, which Kay himself had done. Despite not having the required A-level grades, he was accepted into the programme and eventually upgraded to a full degree. His brother Colin, also a University of Salford graduate, followed him into performing and is also a stand-up comedian.Shadow: Colin Manford
mancunianmatters.co.uk, 30 June 2010; retrieved 24 April 2014.

Career

Television

From June to November 2007, Manford was on ''Ideal'', where he had a small part as Jack, who had been dumped and cheated on by his girlfriend with 'little Darren', 'big Darren' and 'flu-strength Darren'. He later made another appearance in episode five of that series. He hosted a breakfast show on Xfm Manchester until May 2008. From June to November 2007, Manford was Paramount Comedy's continuity announcer and writer. In June 2007, he took over from

Dave Spikey Dave Spikey (born David Gordon Bramwell, 6 October 1951) is an English comedian, actor, writer and film producer. He is best known for his stand-up comedy, writing and starring in the British comedy programme ''Phoenix Nights'', presenting ''B ...

as a team captain on ''

''. He presented his own show, ''

Tonightly ''Tonightly'' is a British comedy entertainment show presented by comedian Jason Manford. It was part of the ''Generation Next'' project on Channel 4 and was shown late evening, every weekday. The series concluded on 22 August 2008. ''The TNT Sho ...

'', which aired every weekday from 1 to 22 August 2008 and appeared as a celebrity supporter for inventor Kin Kam in a special charity edition of BBC Two's ''Dragons' Den'' for

Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educat ...

. In March 2010, Manford was announced as host of a new comedy show called ''Comedy Rocks'', featuring stand-up comedians and musical performances. A pilot was shown on ITV on 26 March 2010 and a full series began on the channel on 14 January 2011. On 26 May 2010, Manford was announced as the new presenter of

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

's ''

'' from July 2010. He resigned from the programme in November 2010 following allegations surrounding his private life. He also made up one half of the Home Team with

Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea, 27 February 1973) is an English-Australian singer and television personality of Australian descent. Andre gained popularity as a singer, best known for his singles "Mysterious Girl" and " Flava". He is als ...

on the

game show ''

Odd One In ''Odd One In'' is a British panel show, broadcast on ITV. It is hosted by Bradley Walsh. The regular Home Team are Peter Andre and Jason Manford, the Away Team are two guest celebrities who change each week. Format In each round, the teams ar ...

''. In July 2011, Manford presented ''

Show Me The Funny ''Show Me the Funny'' is a British reality show in which a group of ten comedians of varying experience visit ten different cities around the UK, performing tasks that are somehow meant to equip them with local knowledge to work into five-minute- ...

'', a reality show on

involving ten comedians in which one is voted off each week. In 2013, Manford hosted three pilots: ''Good News, Bad News'' and ''Oh! What a Week'' for

, and ''You and Whose Army?'' for Sky1. None of them have yet been commissioned for a full series. He wrote and presented ''A Funny Old Year'' which was broadcast on

on New Year's Eve in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The show saw Manford take a look back over the past year's humorous events. Since 21 June 2014, Manford has hosted a

show called '' A Question of Sport: Super Saturday'', a spin-off from

...
panel show ''

A Question of Sport ''Question of Sport'' (previously ''A Question of Sport'') is a British television sports quiz show produced and broadcast by the BBC. It is the "world's longest running TV sports quiz". Following a pilot episode in December 1968, broadcast on ...

''. On 21 September 2014, Manford guest hosted an episode of ''

Sunday Night at the Palladium ''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sunday ...

''. He returned to present another show on 24 May 2015. Manford played the role of Marty in the 2015 BBC Drama ''

Ordinary Lies ''Ordinary Lies'' is a British television drama series that was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 March 2015. The six-part first series, written by Danny Brocklehurst, is set in a car showroom. The second, also in six-parts, is set in the warehous ...

''. In 2015, he hosted ''The Money Pit'' for

Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

and ''It's a Funny Old Week'' for

. In 2016, Manford joined Absolute Radio as their new Sunday morning show presenter. In April 2017, Manford guest presented five episodes of '' The Nightly Show''. He also presented the ''

2017 Laurence Olivier Awards The 2017 Laurence Olivier Awards were held on 9 April 2017 at the Royal Albert Hall, London. The ceremony was hosted by comedian Jason Manford. A highlights show was shown on ITV shortly after the live event ended. Eligibility Any new prod ...

'' for

, before returning to present the ceremony in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

. In 2017, he presented a new Sunday-night entertainment series for

called ''

''. Since 2017, he has been the voice of Daisy's dad in a

CHF Entertainment CHF Entertainment (originally established as Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick Entertainment) was an animation studio formed in 2011. It was the reincarnation of the animation company Cosgrove Hall Films which closed in 2009 after 40 years. Brian Cosgro ...

cartoon called ''

Daisy & Ollie Daisy & Ollie is a British children's animated series for preschoolers produced by CHF Entertainment and Hoopla Studio for Cartoonito and Channel 5's Milkshake! block. The show follows the daily life of two little kids named Daisy and Ollie, ...

''. He also writes some of the episodes for it. In 2018, he fronted ''What Would Your Kid Do?'', a new series for

. In 2020, Manford came in second place as the Hedgehog on ''

The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. Manford hosted

The Royal Variety Performance 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 f ...

2020 from the

Blackpool Opera House The Opera House Theatre is a theatre in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre and originally opened in 1889, although it has been rebuilt twice, in 1910 and ...

, with performances including

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...

, Melanie C, Steps and ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...

'' 2020 winner

Jon Courtenay Jon Courtenay (born 4 March 1973) is an English singer, pianist, entertainer and comedian, known for winning the fourteenth series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', having previously been awarded the golden buzzer during his audition by presenters ...

. In May 2021, Manford became the presenter of BBC quiz show ''Unbeatable''. In February 2022, Manford appeared on the final of the Masked Singer third series masked as Hedgehog performing a duet with winner

Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing caree ...

masked as Panda. In November 2022, Manford presented '' Children In Need'' alongside

Mel Giedroyc Melanie Clare Sophie Giedroyc (; , born 5 June 1968) is a British actress, comedian and television presenter. With Sue Perkins, she has co-hosted series including ''Light Lunch'' for Channel 4, ''The Great British Bake Off'' for the BBC and c ...

Ade Adepitan Adedoyin Olayiwola "Ade" Adepitan (born 27 March 1973) is a Nigerian-born British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player. As a presenter, he has hosted a range of travel documentaries and sports programmes for BBC television. Ade ...

, Alex Scott and Chris Ramsey.

Stand–up

After a successful first UK tour and high sales of the following DVD, filmed live at the

Manchester Apollo The O2 Apollo Manchester (known locally as The Apollo and formerly Manchester Apollo) is a concert venue in Ardwick Green, Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 (2,514 standing, 986 seats). History The ...

, he began his "Turning into My Dad" tour on 14 July 2010. In March 2010, Manford took part in ''

Channel 4's Comedy Gala ''Channel 4's Comedy Gala'' is an annual British comedy benefit show organised by Channel 4 in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. The show is filmed live at the O2 Arena in London, and then broadcast later by Channel 4. An inaugu ...

'', a

benefit show A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...

held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena (London) *O2 Arena (Prague) *The 3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decem ...

in London on 30 March. He toured the UK with "First World Problems", between June and December 2013 and produced a DVD of the same name. His show "Muddle Class" was toured across the UK until the end of 2018. His tour "Like me" began in early September 2020 and will finish in October 2021. In 2011, Manford became one of the shareholders of the Chester-based comedy club The Laugh Inn. He frequented the club to see shows and support the circuit comedians, as well as performing impromptu shows. The club closed in 2013.

Singing

Manford comes from a family of singers and musicians and sang regularly with them. In the TV competition ''Born to Shine'' in 2011, he was taught daily to sing in an operatic style; he went on to win the show, and has released an album of show tunes, titled '' A Different Stage''. On 25 November 2022, Manford released the single "Assembly Bangers", a song he had been closing his standup show with. The track, a medley of songs nostalgically associated with school assemblies including "

This Little Light of Mine "This Little Light of Mine" is a popular gospel song of unknown origin. It was often reported to be written for children in the 1920s by Harry Dixon Loes, but he never claimed credit for the original version of the song, and the Moody Bible Inst ...

", "

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" is a traditional African-American spiritual, first published in 1927. It became an international pop hit in 1957–58 in a recording by English singer Laurie London, and has been recorded by many other si ...

" and " Lord of the Dance", will donate all profits to the

Trussell Trust The Trussell Trust is an Non-governmental organization, NGO and charity that works to end the need for food banks in the United Kingdom. It supports a network of over 1,200 food bank centres to provide emergency food and compassionate, practical su ...

's Emergency Fund Appeal. The single charted at number two on the UK Official Singles Sales Chart on 2 December 2022. On 16 December 2022, Manford released ''Assembly Bangers: The Album'' with Chris Sutherland, with the "Christmas Assembly Bangers" single being released on the same day. Again, all proceeds were donated to the Trussell Trust.

Acting

In late 2013, Manford was the

voiceover Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...

artist for the Jet2.com and

Churchill Insurance Churchill Insurance is a British insurance company based in Bromley, London. Founded in 1989, as one of the country's first direct to customer car insurance companies, the company has expanded to offer a range of general insurance products. Sin ...

adverts and is one of the voices in the BBC comedy sketch show '' Walk on the Wild Side''. He appeared in series four of Channel 4's '' Shameless'' as a security guard who is seduced by

Karen Maguire The following is a list of fictional characters from the English comedy-drama '' Shameless'', created by Paul Abbott, which was on Channel 4 between 2004 and 2013. The programme is set on the fictional Chatsworth Estate in suburban Manchester ...

. In July 2012, Manford took over the role of Pirelli for a month (followed by a few dates in August) in the London revival of musical ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

'' at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

opposite

Michael Ball Michael Ashley Ball (born 27 June 1962) is an English singer, presenter and actor. He made his West End debut in 1985 playing Marius Pontmercy in the original London production of ''Les Misérables'', and went on to star in 1987 as Raoul in ...

and Imelda Staunton. Manford has a minor voice role in the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

video game ''

Fable III ''Fable III'' is a 2010 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The third game in the ''Fable'' series, the story focuses on th ...

'', playing Jammy, who teaches the player how to use mortars. He had a role in the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...

series ''

Ideal Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considere ...

'' and starred in an episode of

's '' Moving On''. In 2015, Manford played the role of Marty in the

drama series ''

'', starring alongside

Michelle Keegan Michelle Elizabeth Keegan (born 3 June 1987) is an English actress, known for her roles as Tina McIntyre in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and Sergeant Georgie Lane in the BBC drama series '' Our Girl''. Keegan also starred as Tra ...

, Max Beesley and

Sally Lindsay Sally Jane Lindsay (born 8 July 1973) is an English actress and television presenter known for her roles as Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', Lisa Johnson in the Sky One comedy series '' Mount Pleasant'' a ...

. He also played the

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane *Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

Alexander Le Cheyne in Episode 3 of Series 3 of ''

Ripper Street ''Ripper Street'' is a British mystery drama television series set in Whitechapel in the East End of London starring Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn, Adam Rothenberg, and MyAnna Buring. It begins in 1889, six months after the infamous Jack the ...

''. In 2015, Manford starred in his second musical as Leo Bloom in the 2015 UK tour of

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

' '' The Producers'' opposite

Louie Spence Louie Spence (born 6 April 1969) is an English dancer, choreographer and television personality, best known for the TV show '' Pineapple Dance Studios''. He was a professional dancer in his youth, performing in West End musicals including ''Mi ...

, Phill Jupitus and

Ross Noble Ross Markham Noble (born 5 June 1976) is an English stand-up comedian and actor. Noble rose to mainstream popularity through making appearances on British television, particularly interviews and on panel shows such as '' Have I Got News for You' ...

. He played Caractacus Potts in the UK tour of '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' alongside Phill Jupitus,

Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is an English actress and TV presenter, best known for her roles in the British soap operas ''EastEnders'' and ''Coronation Street''. Collins played Cindy Beale in the BBC soap ''EastEnders'' fro ...

Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also ...

Carrie Hope Fletcher Carrie Hope Fletcher (born 22 October 1992) is an English actress, singer-songwriter, author and internet personality, having played the role of Éponine and Fantine in ''Les Misérables.'' She starred in the original production of ''Cinderell ...

and

Claire Sweeney Claire Jane Sweeney (born 17 April 1971) is an English actress, singer and television personality, best known for playing the role of Lindsey Corkhill in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' and playing the role of Roxie Hart in the musical ...

. He toured with the production from February to April 2016, before the role was played by

Lee Mead Lee Stephen Mead (born 14 July 1981) is an English musical theatre, television actor and occasional singer, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' through the BBC T ...

. Manford returned to the role in October 2016 and continued until the end of the tour in February 2017. In 2019, he starred in ''

Curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditoriu ...

'', a musical whodunnit by

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Riv ...

and

John Kander John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Cab ...

, which toured the UK. It moved to the

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

in London's West End mid-December until mid January 2020, after which it began a further UK tour. In December 2020 he was due to make his pantomime debut as Muddles in ''Sleeping Beauty'' at the

Manchester Opera House The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England, is a 1,920-seater commercial touring theatre that plays host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is a Grade II listed building. The Opera House is one of the mai ...

alongside

Billy Pearce Billy Pearce (born 1 February 1951) is an English performer, comedian, actor and entertainer. A regular on UK television in the 1980s and 1990s, Pearce has been described as a "supreme entertainer". He particularly loves performing at the Alhambr ...

Jodie Prenger Jodie Prenger (born 12 June 1979) is an English actress and singer, best known as the winner of BBC television series '' I'd Do Anything'' on 31 May 2008 and the second series of ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2006. In 2022, she began portraying the ...

Eric Potts Eric Potts (born 13 September 1965) is a Scottish actor, writer and director, who appeared in ''Coronation Street'' as the eccentric baker Diggory Compton after playing four smaller parts, the father of Molly Compton, and ''Brookside'' as Wr ...

and Louis Gaunt, however due to the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and the government's guidelines the performances were cancelled.

Influences

Manford cites

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

as his comedy hero, after seeing him when Manford was 11, and comics such as Tommy Cooper and

heavily influenced his comic style. In 2009, in an interview on ''

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme features Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews (usually three per show) ...

'', Manford talked about his passion for musicals, expressing an interest in taking a singing and acting role on stage, and giving a short, impromptu performance of "Suddenly Seymour" from '' Little Shop of Horrors''.

Charity

In November 2008, Manford became patron of Savebabies, a charity campaigning for newborn screening. In April 2014, Manford became a supporter of the cancer charity Stephen's Story. It was set up by Stephen Sutton , a 19-year-old blogger with terminal colorectal cancer who set up the initiative to help others battling cancer. All profits made by Manford's comedy clubs during May 2014, the month of Sutton's death, were given to the charity.

Personal life

Manford married his first wife, Catherine, in October 2007. They had four children together before separating in 2013: twin daughters born on 20 August 2009, a third daughter born in December 2010, and a son born in 2012. The family lived in

Bramhall Bramhall is a suburban area in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it had a population of 17,436 at the 2011 Census.Bramhall South and Bramhall North Wards History The Anglo-Saxon m ...

. He married his second wife, Lucy Dyke, in 2017; they have two children together. Manford is a supporter of

Manchester City FC Manchester City Football Club are an English football club based in Manchester that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Association Footba ...

Awards

Won

* Winner of the 1999 North West

City Life Comedian of the Year The City Life Comedian of the Year competition is held annually in Manchester, and sponsored by the ''City Life (magazine), City Life'' magazine. The competition began in 1990, and has become one of the most prestigious comedy awards in the Nor ...

* Winner of the 2000

Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year The ''Leicester Mercury'' Comedian of the Year is held during the Leicester Comedy Festival every February. All the finalists picked are nominated by the UK's top comedy clubs and must meet certain criteria. The competition is sponsored by the ''Le ...

* Winner of the 2005 Writers Guild of Great Britain and The List's Best Comedy Newcomer for his debut Edinburgh show Urban Legend * Winner of the 2006

Chortle Chortle is a British comedy website launched in 2000 by Steve Bennett. The site is a major source of comedy news in the UK. It also reviews comedy shows nationwide, including extensively at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and presents the ...

Award for Best Breakthrough Act * Winner of the 2006 North West Comedy Awards category for Best Stand up on the North West Circuit

Nominated

* Finalist in the 2000 Channel Four

So You Think You're Funny So You Think You're Funny? (SYTYF) is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 in the United Kingdom. The finals are held every August at The Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Past ...

competition at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival * Nominated for the 2001 ''Manchester Evening News'' Theatre Award for Comedy * Nominated for the 2005

Perrier Award Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier was part of th ...

at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his debut one-man show Urban Legend * Runner-up as Hedgehog (contestant) in 2020 The Masked Singer UK.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Filmography

Television

Musical theatre

Stand-up DVDs

*''Live at the Manchester Apollo'' (16 November 2009) *''Live 2011'' (14 November 2011) *''First World Problems'' (10 November 2014)

Early life

Career

Television

Stand–up

Singing

Acting

Influences

Charity

Personal life

Awards

Won

Nominated

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Filmography

Television

Musical theatre

Stand-up DVDs

References

External links