Comedy Rocks With Jason Manford

An interview with Jason Manford...

Hi Jason. What can we expect from your show?

I'd say at the very least, an entertaining hour of telly. We've booked some great bands and singers as well as the top comics and variety acts on the circuit, some really funny people.

What makes 'Comedy Rocks With Jason Manford' different from other stand-up shows?

I suppose the music angle adds a different dimension but also there are acts on this show you won't have seen on other stand-up shows, some from abroad, some from this country, but also the comedy faces you will have seen all doing fresh exciting stuff.

There was a special of 'Comedy Rocks' last year (2010). What feedback did you get from the show? How does it feel to be back?

Well, we got almost 4m viewers, which for that slot is great, so ITV were keen to make a series of it as quickly as possible. I got some lovely feedback from comedy fans around the country.

Who are your favourite comedians that are around at the moment and why?

I'd say Michael McIntyre without any hesitation, he's the main man at the moment, but then there're so many others. I like a wide variety from John Bishop to Stewart Lee, Kevin Bridges, Sarah Millican, Jim Jeffries, Susan Calman, Kitty Flanagan, Rhod Gilbert, Lee Mack, oh God, someone stop me please!

What do you think is the essential ingredient for a good stand-up routine?

I'd say some swift one liners mixed with a funny personal story with plenty of self deprecating humour. But really, there are no hard and fast rules. I mean we've got an act on the show called 'The Boy with Tape on his Face' and he's not got any of those things in his act but it's still incredibly funny.

Have you ever felt slightly nervous about a particular joke and then found it was better received than you ever imagined? If so, what happened?

Yeah all the time. Anytime I write something new that I've never said in front of people, it's always terrifying, but then that's the only way to do it. I did the PFA football awards last year and during dinner one of the old fellas on the head table collapsed as it was so hot, he was whisked off to get some oxygen and then came back just in time for the roll of honour (the list of all the people who'd died in the past year relating to football). I went on immediately after this and to lighten the mood I introduced the fella to the crowd telling them he was alright, it got a huge cheer and then I followed it with "Eh you had us panicking there mate, we thought we were gonna have to add you onto the end of the roll call". There was a silence but then a big laugh, it helped ease the atmosphere in the room.

'Comedy Rocks With Jason Manford' features well known music acts each week. Who are your favourite music performers at the moment and why?

I'm a big fan of Adele and I listen to a lot of Michael Buble in the shower! I'm a bit old fashioned to be honest, I listen to a lot of Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen, God I sound depressed!

Ha ha. Audience participation plays a big part in the show. What do you like most about working closely with audience members? Have there been any particularly surprising experiences that you can tell us about?

I love chatting with the audience, not because I like seeing them squirm or making them feel bad, but because I'm genuinely nosey. I've had some great responses from audience members in the past, in fact one was so funny I left it in my last DVD. I asked if anyone had ever been robbed and a bloke said "Yeah, about 15 minutes ago at the bar", he suckered me in but it got a huge laugh and that's all that matters.