The Ascent of Manford

by Olaf Tyaransen

Jason Manford has more than 200,000 Twitter followers, but they haven’t heard anything from him in a while. As we speak, the 34-year-old Salford comedian has just finished a month-long social media fast in aid of his chosen charity, the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust (raising a total of 16,000 euro).

“Yeah, I did a Twitter and Facebook fast,” he says. “It went marvellously. It was tough, actually, tougher than I thought it was going to be. I didn’t realise quite how much news and current affairs that I actually got from social media, which was quite interesting. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think many people read newspapers anymore. I tend to get my stuff from people posting links to it, the things that everyone is talking about. So, yeah, quite interesting, but I don’t know what’s going on [now] at all!”

Presumably he’s binging now?

“Ha, no, not really,” he laughs. “I’ve done a bit but nothing major, just sort of said that I was back. I feel like I went cold turkey. It was really tough for a few days, but then it got easier.”

Given his Irish roots, the award-winning comedian and TV presenter is looking forward to appearing at the Vodafone Comedy Carnival in Galway.

“I love Ireland,” he enthuses. “My grandparents are from Dublin and a couple of uncles from Limerick. So there’s a bit of Irish floating about. I love playing there.

I’m there most years in Dublin for the Vodafone Comedy Festival and I often holiday in the west of Ireland, in Galway. Good times.”

The last time Manford played Galway, at the Comedy Club in the Roisin Dubh, he apparently distinguished himself by being the first comedian to not swear once on stage during his act.

“No, I don’t think I did actually,” he concedes. “I might do this time!”

So it’s not a policy, then?

“No, it’s not. Well, it depends, really. What I always do with swearing is [only] if it adds something. You don’t swear for no reason.”

Perhaps the cleanliness of his mouth to the fact that he does so much TV. show regular and has presented such ITV’s Show me The Funny and A Does he prefer TV to live performance?

“Oh no, no, the other way around,” “With live, it’s just you. You wrote it, you edit it, you direct it, you produce it. There’s no Ofcom telling you what to say or what to do. It means that when it goes really well, it’s all you, it goes badly, well then it’s also all you – live.”

When was the last time he died on stage?

“Oh, god… I’d say about 10 or 11 years ago. It was a corporate awards show for Mercedes or someone – midnight and they’d been drinking since ten o’clock that morning I think they were looking for someone a bit more Bernard  Manning and they get my gentle brand of humour.

What kind of show will Manford be bringing to Galway?

“I think it’ll be a version of my last tour which finished in December which I never brought to Galway. I did a show called First World Problems and performed to about 400,000 people across 280 dates, so I think  it’ll be a version of that, really. I’m on with some other comics, as well. What’s good about the Galway festival, what I’ve heard from people who have played before, is that it’s kind of like a comedian’s holiday, so you come over, have a nice time, meet up with a load of mates who you haven’t seen for ages because you’re always touring separately and play a couple of gigs while you’re there, so I’m looking forward to just being around and getting involved.”

Do comedians tend to hang out together generally?

“We do at festivals and stuff, yeah. Obviously you’ll bump into one another at various events and what-not. John Bishop is one of my best friends, I had dinner with Sarah Millican and her husband last week… you hang out with your work friends, don’t you?”

What has been the highpoint of his career?

“I was nominated for the Perrier award in Edinburgh many years ago now, about 10 years ago. That was a big thing. I don’t know. I guess, as you grow older, you find new things to be excited about. Doing the Royal Variety Show was a big deal for someone who works in the entertainment industry in Britain. Playing to 12,000 people in the arena in Manchester, my hometown, was a big deal. Having a TV show with your own name on it is always good. There’s been lots of things, really. I did a show called Ordinary Lies, a drama for BBC One that aired last year which was very exciting. Touring with The Producers in Dublin and Belfast and various other places, saying the words that Mel Brooks wrote, was quite a thing, also.”

Does Jason Manford have a motto in life?

“I have various ones, really,” he muses. “I have proper ones like sage advice, I like to say that your horizons should become your middle ground so that each time you hit the thing you’re aiming for, aim for something else. I always say to new comics, don’t compare yourself to other comics. ‘Why’s he or she doing that? I’m funnier than that…’. There’s always going to be a Michael McIntyre and a Peter Kay and a Lee Evans.

“There’s always going to be someone more successful than you, so don’t worry about it. Just crack on and enjoy yourself and if you’re doing better now than you were doing six months ago, then you’re doing alright.”

Jason plays The Roisin Dubh Wed 21st Oct and The Spiegeltent,Eyre Square on Thurs 22nd Oct. for more details and for tickets see www.vodafonecomedycarnival.com