(Financially... not the act, obviously)

Steve Coogan has confessed to ripping off Bernard Manning when he worked at a Manchester  petrol station.

The Alan Partridge star admitted he ‘loathed’ the old-school stand-up – but still took advantage of his generosity when he worked as a  petrol pump attendant in Middleton in his youth.

‘He'd always give me cash and he always rounded up to 40 quid,’ Coogan recalled.  ‘So if I put 40 quid in the car he’d give me 40 quid if I put £36.50 in the car he still give me 40 quid.

‘So what I’d do was fill it off not quite to the top so I would get to keep the change.’

At the time, Manning drove a silver grey Cadillac bearing the personalised number plate 1 LAF.

Asked about Manning’s act, Coogan added: ‘I saw him as an obnoxious fat racist.  I hated  the comedy that he did because I hated the fact that he was regarded by some people nationally as somehow representing the north and I'm a northerner and I thought, " well he doesn't represent me".

In his comments, reported by the Daily Star, Coogan added: ’I really loathed Bernard Manning he was the worst.’

Published: 2 May 2022