Comedians are such a sensitive bunch. How do you describe someone as a safe pair of hands without them taking it as a negative criticism? A safe pair of hands is exactly what Jason Manford is, but this is meant as the highest of compliments. After three days when some comedians had died horrible sweaty deaths onstage and others had pushed the boundaries of their craft and divided audiences Manford closed the comedy arena with an assured set that pretty much entertained everyone.
It looked from a distance like he wasn’t really making an effort and was simply just stringing together a succession of anecdotes about his mates and his family and his life on the road. But if it was that easy everyone would do it. Manford has a natural gift for a story combined with an eye for detail and a turn of populist phrase that is second to none. His cheeky schoolboy smile probably helps too.
Every seemingly casual aside had a punchline to it. Talking about how he was concerned about putting on weight he suggested that you know you are piling on the pounds when “your hand is too fat to fit in the Pringles tube”. He didn't mind being the butt of the humour. When some fans walked out to catch a fashionable band on the music stage he didn't take offence – after all, it wasn’t as hurtful as when he was doing a gig and some people left to catch Leo Sayer.
And of course he had plenty to say about Latitude. Although he has played it before, nine years ago, it is very different to his usual gigs. Not “stabby” at all. And very different to the gigs he has done in Afghanistan, where he had to make an announcement to ask the snipers to return back to work in the middle of his set.
This was classic observational stand-up with knobs on as Manford talked about the mad things his kids say and how he got into hot water when presenting The One Show during the notorious Cat Bin Lady story. Manford was supposed to have been sympathetic but recalled how he could not resist cracking a gag and saying that his pet dog loved the clip. And even when he apologised the following day he put his foot in it again.
Yet there is something Teflon-coated about Manford. Despite being involved in more than his fare share of scandals TV loves him and seeing him at Latitude it is not difficult to see why. Yes he’s old school. Yes, sometimes his anecdotes might sound familiar – a line from his Titanic story cropped up only last week at the Udderbelly. But if you need someone who is going to put you at your ease and make you laugh your socks off – or at Latitude your Crocs off – Manford is your man.
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