Jason Manford

Cheeky Northern charm has long been a mainstay of comedy. And Jason Manford has it by the bucketful. It is, in fact, not only the basis for his act, but its entire ethos. So while his obvious observations and gags might not stand up to forensic scrutiny out of context, in his hands they slowly but surely accumulate into a set of raucous high spirits.

It ain't so much what he says, but the way that he says it, in a Manchester brogue which sounds, inescapably, so much like a sedate version of Peter Kay. But it's not just the accent; it's the joshing attitude and the rich but economic use of language that also works in his favour. Although he says things many of us will have thought, he does so articulately and with an inherent, and irresistible, light wit.

Jason started his comedy life as a lowly pot collector at Manchester's longest running comedy club The Buzz, when one of the acts failed to turn-up and Jason offered his hand on stage. After only five weeks he won the prestigious North West Comedian of the Year Award - previously won by Caroline Aherne, Johnny Vegas and Peter Kay - followed by Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Award reaching the finals of Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny? and the semi-finals of the BBC New Comedy award.

"A true master of observational comedy" BBC

Television credits include:

Secret Policeman's Ball 2008 Channel 4
Live At The Apollo BBC 1
Tonightly Channel 4
Premier League All Stars: Extra Time Sky 3
Shameless Channel 4
8 Out of 10 Cats Channel 4
The Charlotte Church Show (Pilot) Channel 4
Gideon's Daughter BBC1
I Blame the Spice Girls Channel 5
Richard and Judy Channel 4
Modern Worries E4
Cutting It BBC1
Ideal BBC3
Edinburgh and Beyond Paramount
Gloves Off Channel M
Interference Channel M
BBC New Comedy Awards BBC One
The Best of Manchester Comedy BBC2

Film credits include:
Seven Sundays Influential
Unlucky Girl Aspects
Go on, I Dare Ya GMP
Terror GMP
Higher Education Aspects

Theatre credits include:
Line Dance Nation TAS
The Nativity PantoTAS
Dracula TAS
Bugsy Malone TAS
Slice of Saturday Night TAS
Little Shop of Horrors Act Too

Writing credits include:
Angels for BBC Writers Bursary & Aspect Productions
Currently writing for BBC Comedy Development Unit
Line Dance Nation for TAS Theatre Co
The Nativity Panto for TAS Theatre Co
Seven Sundays for Influential Production Co

Awards include:

Winner 2006 Chortle Best Breakthrough Act
Winner North West Comedian of the Year
Winner Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year
Nominee 2005 Perrier Award
Semi-Finalist BBC Comedy Awards
Finalist So You Think You're Funny?
Nominee for Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Comedy
Nominee for Manchester Theatre Awards

Testimonials:

"Jason Manford's stand up set was fantastic, and his professionalism was outstanding. I cannot thank him enough. His dedication and experience made this a memorable event, and one that all our guests enjoyed." Paul Johnson, dabs.com