Jason Manford

Jason Manford

Date of birth: 26-05-1981
Manford started his comedy career by winning the North West comedian of the year title in 1999. A year later, he won the Leicester Mercury comedian of the year, and was a finalist in the So You Think You're Funny? new act competition.

He made his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2005 with Urban Legend, a show that was nominated for the main Perrier award. The following year he won the Chortle award for best breakthrough act.

He embarked on his first solo tour of the UK in September 2008, a month after hosting the topical Channel 4 show Tonightly

He became increasingly well-known thanks to his role on the Channel 4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats, and in 2010 hosted the high-profile Comedy Rocks for ITV. In May 2010 he was confirmed as the new co-host of BBC One's The One Show.

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Jason Manford stars in Something Rotten!

Broadway musical comes to London for three shows only

Jason Manford is to star in the London premiere of the Broadway musical Something Rotten! 

A concert version of the show, without full staging, will run for just three performances at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on August 5 and 6.

He will play Elizabethan writer Nick Bottom, who with his brother Nigel seeks to outshine Shakespeare by writing the world’s first musical. 

The show was created by Hollywood screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell and songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick, who have also adapted Mrs Doubtfire into a West End and Broadway musical.  

It originally opened on Broadway in 2015, running for more than 730 performances and earning 10 Tony nominations, including one for best musical. 

Manford has appeared in a number of stage musicals including the UK tours of Mel Brooks' The Producers  and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and last year played the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard Of Oz in the West End.

Further casting for the London gigs will be announced later. Tickets go on general sale at 10am on May10. 

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Published: 2 May 2024

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