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 named as Have I Got Sport For You host

Spin-off recorded last night

Jason Manford has been named as the host of Have I Got Sport For You.

As Chortle previously revealed, a one-off episode of the Have I Got News For You spin-off will air this December on BBC One, looking back at the sporting highlights of the past 12 months.

But the episode – recorded at the Riverside Stuidos in Hammersmith, West London, last night –  is widely seen as a pilot for a fun series of the show, which is being made by Hat Trick Productions.

Manford posted on social media: ‘Filmed this tonight! It was so funny! Can’t wait for you to see it this Christmas.’

He added: ‘It’s such a privilege to be hosting this show — a sports version of Have I Got News For You. It’s an idea that’s so good, it only took them 34 years to come up with it.’

The Sun reports that boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and Paralympian Kadeena Cox were also on the panels at  the recording. 

Have I Got Sport For You comes a year after the BBC shelved A Question Of Sport after 53 years on air, with the broadcaster blaming ‘inflation and funding challenges’.

 The show had suffered a slump in viewers from 4 million in 2021 – when long-running host Sue Barker was replaced by  Paddy McGuinness –  to around 800,000 at the time it was axed.

Hat Trick previously made a one-off episode of Have I Got Sport For You for Radio 4 in 2012, fronted by former They Think It's All Over host Nick Hancock.

Manford guest hosted Have I Got News For You for the first time in May.

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Published: 20 Nov 2024

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