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 pulls gigs for emergency appendix operation

Comic taken ill 'at 70mph on the motorway'

Jason Manford has revealed the reason he had to cancel shows this weekend was because he’s undergone emergency appendix surgery.

The comic told how he got appendicitis while driving at 70mph on the motorway – and was rushed to a hospital in Manchester for the operation.

He said it was a ‘bit of a scary & extremely painful 24 hours but thankful to our NHS & my incredible nurse mum who’s a godsend in a health crisis’

Manford said he was ‘gutted’ after pulling  his performance at the Alban Arena in St Albans, Hertfordshire, last night just hours before the doors opened, then rescheduling all this weekend’s shows, too.

He wrote on social media: ‘I thought I could get by on antibiotics and [have] surgery at a later date so I could still do the shows, but was advised not to. Also means I can’t fly out to Portugal on Monday to join my family on holiday!  Ah well, such is life.  Thanks for all the "Get Well Soon messages.’

His dates on his long-running A Manford All Seasons tour at  Oxford New Theatre,  Lincoln Engine Shed and Skegness Embassy Hall have all been escheduled to November 16;  September 7 and February 15 respectively with the St Albans gig moved to October 20. Fans unable to attend the rescheduled performances will have the option to request a refund. 

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Published: 31 Jul 2025

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