‘I’ve been average at everything for a long time, so it’s a perfect show for me’
In his new gameshow First And Last, the jackpot winners are the ones who don’t win or lose, host Jason Manford explains to Georgia Humphreys
When January feels a bit miserable, we all crave comfort telly – and Saturday night game shows are the perfect remedy.
This winter, BBC1 has a brand new offering; First And Last, a six-part series hosted by comedian, actor and dad of five, Jason Manford.
Each episode sees 11 contestants put through a succession of daft, but hilarious, play-along-at-home rounds, which they mustn’t win or lose. If they do, they will be eliminated. The prize, if they can hold their nerve, is up to £10,000.
Here, Manford, 38, discusses presenting duties, career choices and why he doesn’t like the term ‘celebrity’.
What was it about First And Last that appealed to you?
It’s nice and simple; don’t come first, don’t come last! It’s a show that celebrates your Plain Janes and Average Joes; most of us, basically. And I quite like that. I’ve been average at everything for a long time, so it’s a perfect show for me.
Did you have reservations about fronting a game show that’s a totally new format?
No, not really. On paper, they all sound a bit naff. When you’re sent them, you’re like, ‘Well, I don’t know whether that’s going to be good or not’.
You’ve just got to hope that the TV gods are smiling at you really, and that the show’s format, your personality and humour, and the audience all come together, to make a success.
You’ve previously said you now only do TV shows you’d actually watch yourself...
Yeah, you’ve got to be honest with yourself, and be able to go on your social media and say, ‘Hey, I’m doing this new show, and I think you should watch it, because I’d watch it’ and that’s what I’d always try and do. The same with my kids – I think, ‘Would my family sit down and watch this show if somebody else was doing it?’
You must need a lot of energy to present a show like First And Last?
It’s a lot of brain capacity. You’ve got your script and the things you have to say, so everyone knows what’s going on, and then you’ve got the other bit of your brain which is ad-libbing and making things up and trying to say funny things.
What was your favourite moment during filming?
What I love about this show is that it’s silly. Up to £10,000 is a lot of money, but it’s not life changing. You might have paid off your debts or something, but in a year’s time you’ll be thinking, ‘Do you remember when we won that £10,000 last year?’ You went on a big holiday, or you bought a car.
Do you find you get really connected to the contestants?
I try to do shows that have got real people on them. Everybody on telly seems to be media trained now and know what they’re saying and what not to say, and so I sort of try to stay away from shows that have got ‘celebrity’ in the title. I don’t really want to be interviewing and chatting to a load of celebs. Is that interesting? Not really.
But real people who live their lives every day, I just find that fascinating. And for me, as a stand up, they’re my audience. When I go and talk to a front row at a gig, they’re the ones that I’m having fun with.
How do you feel about being called a celebrity?
It’s a weird thing, the word celebrity. What does it mean, to ‘celebrate’ somebody; well, there’s lots of people who should be celebrated who are not celebrated, so I always cringe a little bit at the word celebrity.
I’m a comedian, and some people like me and they’re willing to pay money to come and see me or watch me on the telly; that’s my job. You speak to kids now and they want to be ‘a celebrity’. I do feel a bit sad about that.
A lot of kids want to be famous social media influencers or Youtubers...
Maybe I’m just of a different generation, maybe I just don’t get it... It’s a hard world to be in, because it plays on your mental health.
You want to be liked, and being liked is what your job is, and that’s quite a hard thing to balance, especially [on] social media – people have a direct access to you. It’s a difficult existence in that respect. It certainly has lots of lovely trappings and lots of nice things, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to my children.
What is next for you careerwise?
I’m on tour with a musical, Curtains, until April. Then I’m writing a tour for myself.
It’s hard to be away from your children. But, at the same time, the bonus of what I do is I then get to spend two or three months at home, at the end of the year. So, it works itself out.
● First And Last airs on Saturday nights on BBC1