Jason Manford

He's funny, is Jason Manford. He sometimes pushes it a little bit, but he's actually quite an old-fashioned gentle kind of comedian. He comes on, tells funny stories; quite often you can see where they're going before they get there. There's not an enormous amount of edge to Jason. But he's very likable, and he has a nice way with words: "Kids are well thick... early doors they'll believe anything," he says before telling us that his dad used to tell him the ice cream van did the tune when they'd run out of ice cream.

Maybe standup can be reassuring, and make you laugh, and quite like the person standing up, rather than make you squirm and feel uncomfortable. Or maybe I'm just an old git.

If the producers of The One Show were looking to replace Adrian Chiles with a host who displays a similar enthusiasm for the minutiae of modern life, then matey Mancunian comic Jason Manford should be a sound appointment. Here, the 8 Out of 10 Cats star is captured at the Manchester Apollo on his 2009 stand-up tour, pondering the unspoken rules of the living room, the road and the men's room; imagine Michael McIntyre, except not so well-spoken and with more gags about parallel parking. Manford's humour is gentle - he elicits few gasps or belly-laughs - but his eagerness to interact with the audience is genuine and it's a pleasure to spend an hour in his company.

He may be seen as a surprise choice to co-host The One Show, but Jason Manford has a homeliness and likeability that should suit the early-evening BBC1 crowd. Obviously his act here is post-watershed stuff (jokes centred around the groin area), but the way he banters rather than spars with his heartland audience at Manchester's Apollo Theatre is a winning tactic and immediately puts them at their ease. The topics he covers - driving lessons, childhood fears and funny things your dad says - inevitably invite comparisons with Peter Kay, but Manford feels the less nostalgic of the two. Some may regard his laid-back style as lacking edge, but it must take a lot of practice to appear so relaxed.

Jason Manford cheats death after tyres blow out on car

Jason Manford was lucky to escape death after a dramatic incident in which two of his hire car's tyres blew out on a motorway.

Jason Manford's dad tells of his pride in his son

Jason Manford's dad reckons that the new One Show co-host will be a hit with viewers and his fellow presenter, Christine Bleakley.

Meet Jason Manford

He's The One to make Christine Bleakley laugh.

Is Jason Manford the right choice for The One Show?

Jason who? The Eight Out of Ten Cats captain might be a surprise choice, but may well turn out to be a good replacement for Adrian Chiles.

Jason Manford interview

After speaking to Jason Manford for less than thirty seconds, the phone goes dead.
I get a call straight back. "Bloody iPhones," he chunters, "they've forgotten the very fundamental aspect of telecommunication. "There's an app for everything, apart from ringing people.

Although it might not sound it, a roast is the ultimate honour for any entertainer. First started at the New York Friars' Club in the 1920s and made famous by Dean Martin on his TV show in the 1960s and 1970s, a roast involves you sitting in a room with your friends, family and colleagues as they mercilessly take the mickey out of you - goodnatured bullying, as the host Jimmy Carr calls it. There are three roasts this week - don't miss Sharon Osbourne's on Thursday and Chris Tarrant on Friday - but first up is Mr Showbusiness himself, Bruce Forsyth. Lining up to pay mocking tribute are Jack Dee, Jason Manford, Bruno Tonioli, Arlene Phillips, Jon Culshaw, Barry Cryer and, best of all, Jonathan Ross. It may be sycophantic, but there are still some hilarious moments.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is the recipient of this fundraising gala - the biggest live stand-up concert in UK history. And they couldn't have asked for more from the roster of stars who each donated five minutes last week at London's O2 Arena. Some hefty editing will be needed to get this show down to the two-hour running time it's been allotted and if the rude bits from Jonathan Ross and Mark Watson end up on the cutting room floor, then they may survive in the DVD which goes on sale on April 26.

Among those who'll definitely make the cut are, in no particular order, Michael McIntyre, Jack Dee, Bill Bailey, Kevin Eldon, Jason Manford, Jo Brand, Sean Lock and Noel Fielding.

The evening opens with a raucous dance number from Stomp and closes with a legendary performance from Lee Evans, looking the grand old man of stand-up in every sense.