Man in a middle class muddle

BY BARBARA HODGSON

COMEDIAN Jason Manford’s current tour, which marks his return to stand-up, is bringing him to Newcastle this December.

The comic is back on the circuit and out to make an impact in a big way, with this year set to wrap up a whopping 200-show UK tour and another 40 shows already in the book for 2019.

And the new material being showcased in Muddle Class is offering fans a chance to find out about more about Manford’s life growing up, from what he says were his “working class” early days to the “middle class” lifestyle he finds himself a part of now - and it’s clearly causing him some confusion about his social status. The tour is the comedian’s first for some years, after his First World Problems tour also clocked up more than 200 sellout dates over an 18 month period from 2013-14.

And he says that his comeback - which is bringing him to Metro Radio Arena on December 19 has been “a joy”.

“Seeing it go down so well is a brilliant feeling,” he said.

In between, he’s been busy with TV appearances; a live Absolute Radio show on Sunday mornings and a Comedy Club he runs with his brother Colin.

Last year he also released a debut album of show tunes called A Different Stage, inspired by his love for musical theatre.

But he said: “Out of everything I do, stand-up is the job I love most.

“It’s great to be returning to the freedom of being in charge of what I say and do. It’s just lovely to be back!”

Of his current show, which tackles personal issues such as weight and also matters such as why his brother is suspicious of his new-found middle-class inclinations, political correctness and speed awareness courses, he said: “I’m trying to be perceived as working class, even though my life is now very much middle-class!”

He added: “One of the things I really enjoy about stand-up is using other skills. I love playing different characters and doing different voices.

“I just want people to have a laugh. I do like comedy with a message - I like satire and clever comedy - but no one goes away from my stand-up show thinking, ‘I had a really good think there’!”