TotalNtertainment was able to grab some time with funny man Jason Manford who very kindly spared us a few mins of his time whilst still out on tour to do a quick interview with us.
1. Important question first, Manchester City have just won the title with a little help from Manchester United losing, how does that feel?
Well obviously it’s fantastic feeling just odd because from a bout Christmas we were so geared up to win it against United, so for them to beat us did knock the wind out of our sales a little! But still, to win the league and the cup in Pep’s second season feels great, and the football we played was just amazing. 2. Anyway, that out of the way, how is the tour going? Tour is fantastic. I put a lot of work into the show so now I’m just enjoying myself, all the ‘proper’ work was done last year, so now it’s just about getting on stage and making people laugh, it’s technically the easy bit! The actual touring is hard, the travelling, but this one I’ve been careful to only do four days a week and make sure I have enough time off with the kids during their holidays from school. 3. You’re touring through to the end of the year, anywhere in particular you’re looking forward to playing?
I love everywhere equally! But I’ve got to say I’m feeling pretty smug about booking 10 days worth of gigs in Devon and Cornwall in the first week of the summer holidays! We’re all going down as a family and so I’m excited about that.
4. Do you have any pre-show rituals that you go through? Not really. Apart from a little afternoon nap. That’s cos I’ve often been up doing school run and then travelled to the gig later on, I do love a little nana nap! 5. On your website you cite the likes of Jasper Carrott, Dave Allen and Billy Connolly as influences. Who is catching your eye from the new breed of comedians? I really enjoyed James Acaster’s new Netflix show, very funny guy. I always like people like Kevin Bridges, Lee Mack< John Bishop and Sarah Millican. But I’d certainly keep my eyes open for rising stars like Sara Pascoe and Romesh Ranganathan. 6. What advice would you give somebody looking to take up a career as a stand-up comedian? I’d say, just because you dream it and want it and work hard at it, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. But, it will give you a better chance. There are hundreds if not thousands of comedians and not as many gigs as there used to be. I’d say make sure you write every hour you can find, when I’m prepping for a tour I write 60 hours a week. Keep learning, keep reading and make sure you watch as much comedy as you can, both on telly and especially live. 7. Every comedian has had their share of hecklers, what about you? Is there a favourite that sticks in your mind? I don’t get as many as I used to, but when I first started at 16, a guy heckled me cos I was so young looking, ‘Where’s your pubic hair’, I managed to say through my blushes, ‘in your wife’s teeth mate!’. Not sure if that’s too rude for you to use on your site haha. 8. What is your favourite thing about going out and making people laugh for a career?
I think what I’ve learned over the years is that people really need it. They really need to get out of their lives for a couple of hours and just laugh surrounded by their loved ones or friends and family. sometimes comedians can be a bit humble about how important our job is, and of course compared to nurses and firefighters etc, yeah, it’s not that important, But every so often I get a message from someone who’s on the brink, or just lost a partner or a child or even just having a really tough time and they say ‘thanks, I really needed that’ and that makes me realise just how amazing it is to do this job.
9. We’ve just started to watch the remade Lost In Space on Netflix. If you were lost in space, which three people would you want on your ship and why?
Ha I’ve just started watching that too! That’s a tough one, but I think I’d go with Bruce Willis, Charlton Heston and Ted Striker from Airplane.They’d get you home safely and laughing (or in the future with Apes!!)
10. Thanks for your time, apart from the tour what else do you have planned for 2018?
I have another series of What Would Your Kid Do at the end of the year, a few episodes of QI and I’m writing a couple of things so watch this space!
You can still grab yourself some tickets to Jason’s Muddle Class Tour here
