Bernard Manning (born August 13, 1930 in Ancoats Manchester) is a famous working class English comedian who was at his most popular in the 1970s.

Manning is of Irish Catholic extraction and was an altar boy, but also claims Jewish roots and to be a descendant of immigrants from Sevastopol. A sign which reads 'Shalom' adorns the front door of his home in north Manchester.

Like many other comedians of the time (including the cast of The Goon Show), Manning had had little thought of entertainment as a career, until his national service posted him to Germany. To pass the time, Manning began to sing popular standards to entertain his fellow soldiers. He proved to be so good at this that eventually he ended up putting on shows at the weekends: when he began to charge admittance (and audiences didn't drop off), he realised that there was the possibility of making money from showbusines.

On returning to the UK, Manning continued to sing profesionally, and also began to introduce other acts, and work as a compere. He was an effective singer of popular ballads and fronted many big bands in the 1950s, (such as that of Oscar Rabin). Over the years, Manning began to introduce humour into his compering. This went down well, and Manning slowly moved from being a singer/comedian to a comedian who also sang.

After much work in comedy clubs and Northern working men's clubs in the 1950s and 1960s, Manning made his television debut on Granada's stand-up comedy show The Comedians (1971-73, later revived). He went on to compere The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club (1974-77). Nowadays, although he still tours Britain, he tends to appear most frequently at The Embassy, the club he owns in Harpurhey, Manchester, though nowadays, his son manages the club. The club is reputed to have played host to many a rising star, not least The Beatles.

His material has been criticised for being offensive or racist by commentators — often derided by Manning supporters as middle class — and he has not been on British television regularly for some years. Liberal columnist and broadcaster Mark Lawson has said that he feels uncomfortable with what he describes as an implicit ban on Manning. Manning still tours, however, and draws sizable audiences. He also sells videos and DVDs of his act, through his website.

Recent Media Appearances

Manning appeared on the spoof documentary Brass Eye. It is debatable whether he, a comic, realised that 'cake', the 'made-up drug' - warnings against the consumption of which he and other TV personalities were persuaded to record - was a hoax; the other celebrity participants were certainly duped. He had a cameo in the television drama, The Second Coming but it was edited out (this, plus an extended stand up from him, feature on the DVD's deleted scenes.)

In 1998, he appeared as a guest on Caroline Aherne's spoof guest show The Mrs Merton Show. He declared himself as a racist, and referred to 'pakis'; he also got into a heated argument with Richard Wilson. The Broadcasting Standards Commission upheld twelve complaints over the show. Sir Cyril Smith, long serving Liberal MP for Rochdale was quick to jump to Bernard's defence, saying publicly that this was Bernard playing a part, and not the 'real' him, who is actually very tolerant.

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In 2003, Manning's agent accepted a booking from the BNP for an event in Burnley although Manning did not appear[http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=33, having asserted that career-wise he would be 'f***ing barmy' to do so.

Manning has also appeared in genuine documentaries about alternative comedy and variety shows. In 2004, he visited India and performed in two shows for a Channel 4 documentary. The first show went reasonably well, although during the second show, he walked off during the performance after an indifferent audience response, blaming a faulty microphone.

Trivia

• Manning's favourite foods are KFC, Burger King and McDonald's.
• He is a lifelong supporter of Manchester City football club.
• Comedian John Thomson created a spoof character called 'Bernard Righton', based on Bernard Manning, but politically correct.
• '...There was this Englishman, this Irishman, and this Pakistani sitting in a bar...what a marvellous example of multiculturalism.' - "There were these two puffs in the back of a van...nowt wrong with that, they were both over 21."
• Madonna is a fan, and she asked him to perform exclusively at one of her parties in London. David and Victoria Beckham have also attended performances of his.
• Manning performed his act on the opening night of The Hacienda, the nightclub opened in Manchester by Factory Records. However, due to a mix up over publicity, the party was very poorly attended, and Manning allegedly waived his fee.
• When in the British Army, Manning was put on guard duty over many Nazi prisoners of war, including Rudolph Hess.

External links

• Official website with sound bites.

English comedians | English stand-up comedians | 1930 births | Living people