first though Jason Manford is here he's preparing to tour the UK with his brand new comedy show a Manford All Season that's the one that's the one I put a dad joke in right at the top you just went for it g for it yeah have you had a day off at all this year um yeah I've actually had a bit of time off because I did um what did I do I did Jack and the bean stalk over Christmas and then I did I did what did I do oh W Road film that then we went into uh Wizard of Oz for a couple of weeks in Manchester but in between yeah I went to Thailand on holiday with the family oh well that's not bad went to yeah went to Portugal went to New York with some mates okay so you you've had a little breather ahead of a big think people think we're busy than we are tell cuz you you know you record stuff all in one go and then and then it's just on all of a sudden so yeah but the TL is it's a wall of you Jason absolutely terrifies like some sort of cheese nightmare god well the tour is as I think you've described it as a little bit of a break away from the normal life isn't it yeah a little bit I mean it is what I do you know for like for 25 years I suppose and um and so I am used to it you know it's funny when you get pick you'll get people saying how' you do the same thing every night or every day and I think well you do the same thing every day everybody does the same thing every day that's work yeah that's going to work is it but yeah you have to organize it well and you know and book it so far in Advan so you can actually do nice Journeys and go right I'll do sundland and then Newcastle and you know up to Glasgow maybe rather than going I'll do Norwich and then the Alam man you know that can happen hopefully Manchester Manchester the co-op live venue is finally up and running yeah it's funny actually because obviously Peter C was supposed to be the First Act to play it and we spoke the other day about and I'm playing it October 2025 and he said he said it'll be you first comic on by this on this rate so yeah it'll be uh hope done by then yeah ex exactly but it is and as you say it's your natural environment I think really being on stage and doing stand up it is something that you just natur love so it's part of you really at this stage yeah I mean I guess like I said I've done done it for a long time and and what's really nice about it it's so different to Telly and radio and everything else which is on telly like I'm on this show right now and there's people at home watching this show but I'm I'm in your living room I'm I'm inan I'm forcing myself into your living room right now on television and some people are happy with that and some people are oh this guy but on tour everyone there already likes you never thought of it like that already made the journey they've gone through the rigar they know what they're hopefully getting so and now you know there was definitely a point in my career where you try and sell your tour and say come along it's going to be amazing and now I go now I'm in my 40s I say you know what have you liked me before you'll like it yeah again did you not like me before you won't it's very I'm not going to win you over now at 4 well you might you might no I think I think it's I think it's past I've got the people I like and they like me and I'm out my fine with you've got your tribe at point up you mentioned waterl Road and we're going to see you in waterl Road you're a new head teacher I believe I'm there a big hair in the middle in the suit um very teacher like I didn't know you wanted to be a teacher well do you know when me we all do a little bit at yeah because it's the only job you've ever seen so up isn't it when you're a kid so you go oh yeah and then you get the odd bad teacher and you think well I could do that um but I had some brilliant teachers and teachers who inspired me to do what I do now you know in in their own way obviously they didn't know that's what was going to happen um you know I remember Miss Cooper Jude Cooper an English teacher who um I was in trouble telling a DA story at the back of the class and uh she made me she was like did the classic do you want to share that with everybody I said yeah I do wor thing you could say to me that was the beginning she didn't even realize no but she was so like I think she saw something and and and really inspired me to to do that and actually when I eventually went to Edinburgh and got nominated for oh there I am oh oh gosh look at what kind of a pupil were you then you were the general kind of the Joker even at that point yeah I was just a I just I loved laughter and I love we we were you know got an Irish family at home and so there's loads of laughter and banter and ribbon and all that happening all the time and so just that just came into school with me really and and it was such a laugh I mean thing I was thinking about this yesterday actually I'm sort of writing the tour at the moment and um and I remember like the things that we did uh you know the way even the way the adults treated us as kids like now you'd be like you'd be in trouble you know I remember there was a point where I'd be crying about something and my uncle got his guitar out to see if he could play along to my like he wouldn't get away with that now you know what me you'd be canceled but there was just something about like that environment of just having to like join in and have a laugh um and it did you know sort of made you stronger but um but waterly Road certainly makes you appreciate a teacher in a different life doesn't all be acting the role but it's I mean even just acting it was hard enough it was it's but I mean I was the head teacher as well and I um and and and and as part of the character you know he even says at one point look I'm aware that I'm not I'm not a teacher you know I I've just got to manage all these things so you can teach and do what you're great at but it's a brilliant show and it's it's so long running every yeah it felt really special to be part of it actually and um and to be the head teacher as well to go in and and do that and and and story line is really good like it I think it'll take people on a journey and they'll be quite surprised quite shocked right well that's all coming up as is soccer yes of course oh my goodness I know against Frank against Frank because I assumed you'd be on his team but you're not you're playing on the other side that Irish passport you're using the Irish passport I'm using it are you looking forward to it are you training are you going to take I'm training at the moment I mean it might not look like it right now but yeah know I am training and and um it's it's great to have something to aim at at you know where you pop it in the diary cuz you think right I've got but it does suddenly you go right I got 12 weeks i' got five weeks what can I do in three and a half weeks you know U that happens quite a lot but yeah it's nice you I'm playing a bit of football and and I mean you only get about 20 minutes on the pitch anyway you know it's not like you've got to think how can I last I know but there there's a lot of eyes on you albe it a bit of fun and it's for a good cause and everything else but you can't help but feel the seriousness of it on absolutely absolutely and there are people who take it really seriously as well and it's very rarely the professionals the professional football is like oh this will be fun I'll see if I can n me leac and you know have a bit of fun slop you know do top bins against Patty mcginness but um it's no it's the it's the celebs you get some of them who were thinking this is somebody spots me now this could be it you can see it on their faces whereas I'm not fing that obviously even if I was a professional I'd have been retired for 5 years now so I'm not too worried about that you're there for the fun and what it all means yeah it is lovely to do something that's so much fun uh and uh and Al for Unicef and and know that it's for a good cause of course of course well Jason like I say you're the busiest man I'll be at a few holidays to an in for good yeah well we don't start till September so September it is it's um a Manford all season um starts in September as you say you're all over the country everywhere you're everywhere see us Jason thank you lovely as always exactly you need to it needs to say Christine on there some some well I've got this is nice though or just like a little asteris a little Aster