Jason Manford

Manchester-born comedian Jason Manford first tried his hand at singing during childhood. Raised in a musical household, he later turned to stand-up comedy after discovering performers such as Johnny Vegas, Lee Evans, and Peter Kay while still a teenager. Steady work on the British club circuit eventually led him to television, where he took acting roles in Shameless and Ideal and became a familiar face on panel shows including 8 out of 10 Cats. In 2009 he chose to appear on the West End stage; three years later he played Pirelli in the London revival of Sweeney Todd opposite veteran performer Michael Ball. He next assumed the leading part of Leo Bloom in a touring production of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, then portrayed Caractacus Potts in the 2016 U.K. staging of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Manford stepped into a recording studio in 2017 to cut his first album, A Different Stage, which reached listeners before the year closed and featured his interpretations of beloved show tunes.