That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Jason Manford

Episode Date: May 2, 2021

In this episode Gaby chats with all-round entertainer Jason Manford. They talk about his brilliant volunteer work throughout the pandemic, his admiration of Sir Bruce Forsyth and the game show that Jason did called ‘Big Heads’. He also talks about growing up in a home full of laughter and how he wants to emulate that for his six children. Plus, he talks very passionately about laughter being the best medicine and shares some heart-warming stories not to be missed. For more information on the sponsor of this episode Symprove visit www.symprove.com or follow-on Instagram on @symproveyourlife. To claim 15% off the 12-week programme use discount code GABY15 at checkout. For new customers only in the UK. Symprove customer care team are available 8-8 to answer any questions or queries, call 01252 413600. Produced by Cameo Productions, music by Beth Macari.  Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter @gabyroslin #thatgabyroslinpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gabby Roslyn here, thank you so much for listening to this podcast. I adored chatting to our guests this week. It's the all-round entertainer Jason Manford. We talk about his brilliant volunteer work throughout the pandemic, his admiration of Sir Bruce Forsyth, and the game show that Jason did called Big Heads, which makes me barely laugh. He also talks about growing up in a house full of laughter

and how he wants to emulate that for his six children. And he talks very passionately about, laughed that being the best medicine and quite frankly I agree with him. I am hugely thankful that this episode is sponsored by one of my favourite companies, SimProve. It's a food supplement containing live and active bacteria which has done wonders for both mine and my family's health. More information at Simprove.com with the discount code Gabby, that's G-A-B-Y-15 for 15% of the 12-week program and I'll tell you more about them later. Please can I ask you a favour?

Would you mind please following and subscribing by pressing the follow or subscribe button on the show? Now, I have to tell you, this really honestly does not cost any money. It's completely free. And then if you wouldn't mind, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, which is the purple app on your iPhone or iPad. You simply scroll down to the bottom of all of the episodes and you'll see the stars where you can tap to rate and press write a review. It would mean the world to us. Thank you so much. Jason Manford.

The thing about you, Jason, and I always say this to you, to your face, as it were, even though we're not face-to-face. But you have funny bones. Oh, that's always nice to say. I don't feel like I have. Yeah, you do.

No, but even when you feel like you haven't, they're still there. I don't you mean. It's a weird thing, comedy, you know, because you can't overthink it. Like, there's a famous phrase which a famous saying that says, studying comedy is like studying the anatomy of a frog.

If you cut it open to see how it works, it doesn't work anymore. See, you can't ever think about, am I funny? Because the second you start thinking about that, you start getting self-aware, it's a slippery slope. But you know, when you do your straight stuff, because I think some of the stuff, I mean, some of your straight stuff, as you know, because I remember messaging you after, was it ordinary lives?

Was it ordinary lives? Yeah, yeah. Oh, my word. But the pathos and all of that. Yeah, it was good fun that. But comedians can do that so well. I think, yeah, I think you're right. I think comics do lend themselves to being able to be, you know, serious at a time.

And you see that happens quite a lot. You know, like even in things like, you know, PCK's car share or Rick's your Waste's afterlife to pick some recent ones. But even like when you see Billy Conley and Mrs. Brown and, great films like that. Yeah, I think this, I don't know. I think there's something about comedians that there is a pathos to them because a lot of them have sort of gone through stuff, you know, in their lives.

And I guess that is, that's part of what acting is, I suppose, is using your own experiences, you know, to bring something to the scripts or whatever you've been given to say. So, yeah, they do. So I think you're right. How much of your life is spent with people going, oh, Jason Manfred, go on, make you're going. me laugh? Less so now, I think. People have realised, yeah, yeah, people have realised now that

I'm actually quite miserable. I don't know why I laugh. Yeah, you say to me you're miserable and I laugh. It's really friendly, yeah. No, not really, but I think generally you, you you start surrounding yourself with people who don't do that, don't put that pressure on you. So, you know, I've still got mates, you know, that from school and stuff like that who, I mean, a lot of my friends can't even believe in a comedian. You know, people often say, oh, were you funny at school? Not massively. I thought I was.

A lot of my mates. I can't believe you're a comic. I'd love to talk to you about the delivery driver that you became. And it's really weird because I know you and I've interviewed you so many times. And I was just doing my Googling of you yesterday. And that seems to still be the top story that comes. stop. Yeah, I guess because it's relevant, is it, I suppose, for the times we're living in. But yeah, it was, it's been, it's been a busy lockdown really. I'm always busy. You know me.

I'm always doing something. So when suddenly my job was taken off me through, through no fault of anybody's, I suddenly felt like, I don't know, I just thought, I felt bored and thought, I need to, I need to, I need to talk myself out here. So I, I remember one night, I think the, the, On the Monday, the show I was in, Curtains was curtains, finished on the Monday. And lockdown started on maybe the Wednesday or something. And it was around that time where everybody was, you know, all the papers were talking. It was like it was war was looming. You know, it was like, we need 50,000 people to pick fruit and 40,000 people to deliver food.

And, you know, come and bring your metal. We need to melt it down. Like it felt full-on war. And so I remember one night. just sort of sitting then I thought there was like a volunteers thing on in Manchester and I thought well I'll just apply to a load of these

and then I applied to a couple of jobs as well that I'd sort of seen they needed somebody to overnight you know in a supermarket or whatever and then thought nothing of it got a couple of ones back so I did some driving for a thing called stop put car scheme which was taking sort of vulnerable people

to their NHS appointments and whatnot and also another one called the Rainbow Trust, which is a lovely charity, which delivers sort of care packages to people who were in the country for the first time and, you know, struggling. And so I did that over the summer. And then about 10 weeks into it, I got this letter or an email from Tesco to say that

had been turned down for their job as a shelf stacker. And I sort of posted it because I thought it was funny that I got turned down for this job. Because they'd also said that I didn't have any previous experience, which I was living about, because in my, I didn't. do. I did used to work in a supermarket when I was 17, but still, that is previous experience. Can't have changed that much. And I posted about it and said, and then, of course, naturally with Twitter and various things, it sort of caught fire a little bit. And then Iceland got in touch and said, well, if Tesco have turned you down, we won't. Why don't you come and deliver some

groceries for us? So, yes, I went and did a couple of shifts for them. And they made it, to be fair, you know, it was a PR thing for them. And they made a lovely donation to a charity that I'm a patron of here in Manchester, the Children's Adventure Farm. And it was actually a bit of a laugh, to be honest, go. I actually quite enjoyed it. Have you ever driven a van? Years ago on TV.

Oh, oh, it's something about being, you sort of higher up, looking down at people, you know, morally and also just physically. It was lovely. I could really get used to it. Well, I hope you don't have to. But I have to say, though, all the delivery drivers, I now, I get into such long conversations with them because I must say thank you to them about 100 times each time they deliver anything because it's just been so extraordinary.

And some of them tell me about that they get caught by mad women like me. Oh, how are you? How's a family? What have you been up to? Thank you so much. Thank you so much for delivering. But also they said that they feel that they're a lifeline because so many people don't talk to. Don't get to see on.

Anybody. I mean, forget about lockdown and lockdown two and lockdown whatever and tier systems. Even before that, delivery drivers are really, it's a vital role for people living on their own, for the elderly. Totally. Yeah, really is. You notice it with, you know, I was taking this lady to get to the Sheropodys to get her feet done like once a fortnight or something like that. And sometimes I would, you know, the second or third time I'd pick her up. I was the last person she spoke to two weeks ago.

Oh, that's heartbreaking. You know, and you think, gosh, that's, you know, it's really, really sad, you know. I want to do something for loneliness. I wonder if there's something that all of us can do to combat loneliness. Yeah, it doesn't take, it doesn't take much, you know, like to have a chat with somebody. It really doesn't. You know, I've had some lovely chats. And one of the nice things about doing the NHS driving was a lot of them were, you know, a lot of them

older people and so they didn't you know they didn't know who I was they're not in my demographic so it was just lovely having a normal chat about just random things rather than you know rather that being sort of pointed towards show business or whatever and actually here everybody's got a story everybody that's what I always say whatever they whoever they are everyone's got a story in them and I just found them absolutely fascinating some of the some of the stuff that came out while we were I mean there was one couple I picked up, 96 and 94 they were. Wow.

And so, you know, first thing I said, I said, well, come on then. I said, how long are you being married? Because they love talking about that. You know, they've been married 70-odd years or whatever it is, you know. I said, how long have you been married? Waiting for this, 70 years, 60 years, whatever. He said six years. What?

No. I said, what? So there's a story here, six years. I thought it was going to be all, you know, a bit of goss. But actually it was just a sort of heartbreaking, lovely story, which was there was four of them. They were best friends, and both their partners passed away from cancer within six months of each other.

And these two were sort of left and just decided to move in together. And then when they moved in together to help each other out because their partners were no longer. They fell in love in the 90s. That's giving me goosebumps. Yeah. And I was like, wow. That's unbelievable.

Like I would never thought that was even possible. Like what a lovely thing to happen? Oh, you know what? I wish that for so many people who were sitting there on their own. Wouldn't it be lovely? Oh, we need like an elderly tinder. Yes. What would you call it?

I don't know without sounding offensive after such a nice story. But, you know, some sort of like silver tinder. You know what I mean? Silver hair tinder. That'll do. Silver tinder. There you go. Silver tinder.

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They have a helpful customer care team who are great and answer any question. and we'll put the phone number in the episode description for you. You're quite a romantic. I do get that, you know, when you did the Olivier Awards. You are very, you get wide-eyed about things. When you present and when you meet people, you definitely get that there's that child-like wide-eyed thing about you. Would you agree?

Am I missing that? No, no, you're right. You're right. I still feel like that, you know. And I do have a bit of a wonder about things. I find things magical. I also find myself in a job that I feel incredibly fortunate to be in. Which job, though?

Because you've got many, you've got many hats, many heads. I guess the world of entertainment, I suppose. I feel incredibly fortunate. And it's a privilege, you know, to do this job. So, yeah, so when I'm doing things like, like you said, the Olivier Awards or whatever it is, I am sort of wide-eyed because I can't believe I'm surrounded by all these amazing people. And it was one of those shows where, obviously, because there's no audience and there wasn't what we usually do, they sort of changed it a bit. They were like, oh, do you mind?

We're going to just do like a little interview with Serena McKellon and Don Black and that. I was like, yeah, I think I can work that out. But it was just fascinating. I absolutely loved it. Do you know, I have to say that moment, so a husband who is not interested in musical theatre or theatre, and as you know, I'm an absolute obsessive of that. but we were watching your interview with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black and it was so gracious and Don was I've interviewed him a few times what a charming self-effacing lovely man

and Andrew just couldn't have been more generous and you looked you handled it beautifully but you looked in awe of them which was lovely as well it was perfect yeah I mean I slightly was really and the same with Ema Kellan you sort of yeah I guess I was a bit a bit in awe but also you know what's hard what's what's what's hard for a lot of comics and I don't mean to put us down as a sort of side of the industry but what's hard for comics is to make anything not about them because generally if you're a comedian uh you've got there because you've you're happy to be centre of attention and you want to be centre attention and you want and i i've never sort of

had that so i've enjoyed being a stand-up but i naturally i guess i've always liked other people to do and I've always enjoyed sort of being just in that company and basking in their glory almost. You know, I remember when I used to do eight out of ten cats. It was like the first big TV job I had. And I noticed after sort of a couple of seasons of doing it, the new comic would always be on my side. And the older sort of comic would always be on Sean Lockside. And Sean, he's a very funny, lovely man, but he can be quite hard work. you know, and in that situation.

And I said to the producers once, why do I always get the new comic? And they always get the sort of, you know, the older comic. And they said, oh, well, because you're so generous with your comedy and your time, then it's easier for them to get some stuff in, you know. And I thought, oh, yeah, I do sort of do that. I often would sit down with, you know,

I'd say, right, what's your best joke? What have you got? Well, let's do that subject first and get your gag in. And so we all look good. And that's lovely. And yeah, I've always sort of thought like that. I mean, I set up at Manfred's comedy clubs. Me and my brother have got these comedy clubs, which, I mean,

they don't make any money at all. They've been very much working at a loss. I certainly join these times. But it's been a nice thing to have, you know, just to give other people work, I suppose, an opportunity. And I've never been one of those people who sort of brings up the ladder behind them. I just think, just leave it down and see who else can come up. up here and enjoy the good life.

Well, you used the word earlier, and I've used the word about you before, and I know you don't get insulted, but to me, you're an entertainer. And I think that is the greatest compliment. You know, I sort of put you in the bracket of Bruce Forsyth and actually Bradley as well these days and you. You know, they're a very special breed. But my goodness me, you are like Bruce, because you can sing, you can dance. saw you, what were you?

The hedgehog? No, were you? No, what were you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the Metsinger, yeah. You shocked a lot of people. It was funny that. Yeah, I mean, I worked with Bruce on a couple of things and, you know, he's a big hero of mine and I thankfully told him at every opportunity that he was.

You know, I wasn't shy in that praise. And he was always so lovely and so complimentary and, I, I was always so lovely and so complimentary. and I remember actually funny enough you mentioned ordinary lies before because Bruce saw it and he rang me what after it had been on and he said he said Jason I loved it loved it and I said oh thanks so much Bruce that's what I said you know I love seeing comedians going into acting because the thing is we can dip into their world but they can't dip into ours and it's sort of true in a way you know because

it is a sort of specific thing that you do as an entertainer. But yeah, I mean, certainly Bruce is one of my entertainment heroes, you know. So even just to be mentioned in the same breath is a massive compliment for me. Every time on these podcasts I always ask everybody what makes them laugh, what makes them really belly laugh and go for? What's that for you? Oh, do you know, actually, funny enough, while we're on the subject of Bruce,

there is a clip. of his from the generation game where he's so involved in the game I think they're making pots or something and they're so involved I remember being there and my grand's my dad was there my nana was there and I was about seven or eight maybe

and he ran over to help and he slipped one of his feet go and he slips and he lands on his back and he's angry at the contestant but that's that comedy angry that he used to do like they're not trying everyone he slips and he's on his bum and his suit and I remember

remember, it's one of my, it's one of those moments that I remember as a child, the three of us, well, my grander would have been there as well. So, you know, three generations of people absolutely crying, laughing at him being sort of mock angry with this contestant. Because everyone else on telly was so warm, like, not he was warm, but, you know, they were so, like, friendly to the contestants on their game shows. And he sort of had this little, he'd rib him a little bit and we were crying laughing and I just remember that that stands out and and so now when I you know when I'm doing stuff I remember doing what would your kid do and you know and sort of just thinking oh I might try that I might try that sort of delivery really that that Brucey style of presenting it and it's

great fun to do so yeah there's moments like that I think what I can think of proper laughing and other than that other than stuff that I've seen you know, watching comedians or comedians. I watch a lot of stand-up. I guess it would be like just being at home and, you know, the kids are so funny. My brother, I spend a lot of time with my brothers. He's a comedian as well, isn't he? Yeah, Colin is, yeah, yeah.

And my other brother, Stephen, who's, well, he was a plumber. He works in a school now with the naughty kids. And he, which is ironic because he was literally the worst. But I guess it's like, you know, when you get, like, like a hacker to work for the FBI. Yeah. That's what I would say to him. So, but yeah, we laugh a lot.

And growing up, we laughed a lot. And we lived in a household which, there's a lovely Tommy Tiernan line. He said, he says, I'm from an underprivileged background. I found out later. And that's what I'm like. Yes.

Because ours was, I mean, like proper Angela's ashes. Like it was really. And but we, I don't remember any of that. I don't remember the story. the struggles and the, I remember not having the things. You were living in it. You were living in it. so you didn't know any different, did you? No. I just remember laughing. We just laughed so much. My parents were so fun. Whatever was going on once we were in bed, I don't know, but we had such a laugh growing up and that's still around now. You know, we're still, we still have a good laugh.

You know, we're a very close family in that. Oh my word. How lovely to be able, do you, I presume that's what you'd hope for your six kids, that they remember. member laughter in the house in the home yeah definitely definitely and and you know I've had to check myself over the years because you know what I've not been able to do sometimes is is separate the stress of life and work and all those things to being at home you know and and I just remember having to sort of check myself a couple of years ago where I just felt myself not being fun you know I sort of felt myself and you know you get sapped into social media and and sat on your phone and you think what am I doing you know so I sort of we have sort of rules now you know where

there's the phone gets left and the laptop gets packed away and and we get on with stuff and and people think I'm mad like I took the kids swimming because it was sort of just before lockdown kicked in and I said right we better go swimming because it's not going to get a chance for probably for the rest of this year my wife was working on something else so I said right well I'll take him and I took six kids swimming oh my word can you imagine no I can't I have two and that's enough for me thanks Thanks. Six. I don't have enough. How do you have enough hands? Well, to be fair, the older girls sort themselves out, so it's not too bad. But yeah, it was pretty full on, you know. And my daughter, she's so adorable. She said, she's 11 and she said, you're all right, Daddy. I said, yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. Just busy because I've got a little two-year-old, you know, five-year-old, eight-year-old, a 10 and two-eleventh. So I'm sort of keeping an eye on them all, making sure they all stay alive, you know. Oh, my God.

And she said, do you want to swim, Dad? I said, well, I can't really, because I've got little one. She said, well, I'll have him. And then why don't you go and have a, you know, just do some lengths and stuff? And I was like, oh, what a great. You know what I mean? Just a moment where your sort of kid notices that you would be happier doing something else. But yeah, it was lovely.

It was really lovely. And I thought, okay, well, someone's done a good job. You were talking about vans. You're going to need a van to take them all around, surely. Well, we've basically, that's what we've, I sort of talked about in my last tour, actually, about when I had five children and my wife wanted a baby and I was like,

I don't know what we would drive if we had another child. And essentially, yeah, we've, but we're basically in a van. Yeah, because that's eight of you if you're going out with your wife as well. I mean, my maths is really good.

I hope you're impressed with that. Yes, eight of us out there. I've got a ring, like, restaurants in advance, to go, we are coming, but we are in the same bubble. So please don't. because obviously it's like Rule of Six and that. Oh, yes, so what do you do?

Well, you have to just tell them you're in the same bubble, and obviously it's obvious we're in the same bubble, and we generally go to the same couple of restaurants, so it's fine. But, yeah, there's been a couple of times where we've been seated on separate tables, like two tables of four. It's a bit awkward.

And you're not allowed to talk to each other? No, I was like, well, why don't you put the six kids over there and we'll have a nice little bit over here? With your 11-year-old twins in charge, because they sound really together. Yeah. It's like, you know, it's very funny. That question you said when you were growing up and you didn't know any different and it was very deprived and everything, but you didn't know any different. It's like when people have twins and they say, what's it like to have, what's it like to be a twin? And the twins always go, well, I don't know any different. I've always been a twin. Yeah, my twins came first as well. So I don't even know what having one child feels like. That's why you keep growing and it's more and more and more and more and more.

or more. Well, no more. Yeah, you say that. No, I bet you'll, there'll be another one soon. Can't, well, they'll be medically impossible. Oh, right, okay. Okay. I get that.

You don't need to give too many details. I'll be after a refund if you're the other one, I'll tell you. Oh, you're so wonderfully northern. I love that. Only a northerer would say that. And I love northern humour. I just think, oh, they're something so special. A lovely northern humor or scouse humor.

Oh my world. Yeah, I love scouses. It's properly in your bones. Yeah, I always say when you're doing stand-up, the further north you get, the more the audience join in, you know, and sort of joining with the show. Like, by the time you get to Glasgow,

it can be like, it's like being in a double act. Oh, don't. I went to see Panto in Glasgow when I was working up there. I have never laughed as much. You know, when you, I'm not asthmatic, but I could have been asthmatic by the end of it. Oh, my God. and it was northern comedians and Scottish comedians altogether.

And the audience were so, the audience are so different up and down in the UK, aren't they? Definitely, definitely. Which is your favourite audience, though? It's a tough one really. Because generally the people who come to see you are sort of all quite similar, you know. So, but I do like playing it, like you mentioned Liverpool. Like I do quite like a witty audience, you know, so.

And they're confident as well, a Scouse audience. They're confident in their own ability and their own car. They're like, hey, we're full of us. So they will sort of chip in. So I quite like that. So what's happening with your tour then? So does that, and what's happening with your West End show?

Do you know any, have any ideas? So the West End show has gone. That's all cancelled. Oh, that's it. That's it now. Yeah, that's it. Caput. And we were sort of towards the end of it anyway, to be honest. So we only really missed a few weeks.

My stand-up tour, I'm supposed to be on my stand-up tour right now, in fact. but that has now delayed till next September, pretty much. Looking at the layer of the land, it just felt like. Well, to be honest, you get to a point where you're struggling to, they said, oh, it might start in April. They said, I actually can't afford to put all my eggs in that basket. Because if it doesn't start in April, then I've actually missed out on other work. So I thought, right, I'll just try and bite the bullet and we'll do it next September instead.

So yeah, that's a shame. I've still got the radio of a week and stuff, and there's a few, you know, a few little bits here and there cropping up. So, yeah, it's not too bad. You know, I always say, you know, sort of, you're doing better than some and not as well as others. That's sort of all, that's everybody, really. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So we just get through it, really. But my wife still working and stuff like that, and obviously the kids are at school. So it's, yeah, it's kind of a bit weird, really, just being the one who, because I'm usually the busiest, and now I'm the least busy. So. It's a strange thing because we're all a bit, we all try and juggle and do all of the stuff.

And it's such a mad industry that we're in. And suddenly when you're not as crazy as you were, it's like you say that, sadly, oh, oh, oh, what shall I do? What can I do now? What can I do now? It's a strange way to be. Do you know what I really want you to bring back? Because I always talk about things, because I said on this podcast, we would talk about things that make people really laugh. And as you know, I was the biggest fan of the big head show.

I was talking about that last night Oh please I'd love to do it again And actually it's socially distant They've got masks on They've got big masks It actually could be a show That could we're ahead of our time

Yeah that was a fun show That for people who don't have not seen it It was a game show Where contestants would wear huge Paper Mache heads of celebrities And play and race each other essentially and play games. Oh, it's just, please, it's so funny.

It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. And actually, that was one of the first shows that I presented as, I said to the producers, right, I'm going to present this show. And I said to, I've got a couple of mates who are writers, Gary Delaney and Christine Rose and Steve Edge, and we all sat in the writers room. And I said, right, let's write these links.

This is a mad show. People are going to have an opinion on this show, whether good or bad. So I want you to write all the links. as if people have said it on Twitter. So what are people saying about this show? Good or bad on Twitter and we'll say it first. That's so clever.

And so that's what we ended up doing. So anybody who tried to have a go at the show, we'd already said what they were trying to say. We're like, if someone at ITVs had a nervous breakdown, well, I just said that in the last link. We were, you know, so we sort of did it like that really. And it was actually a lot of fun. We had such a laugh making it.

and I mean there's times where I occasionally see some of the crew from it, you know, and I bump into crew on various TV shows. And they always bring it up because we had such a good time. Oh, but I love it. If people haven't seen it, I just record, do you know, it's very funny. I was telling a friend of mine the other day when I knew you were coming on this. And I said, oh, have you ever seen the show? And I told me to go back and look at clips of it.

And she called me up. And she just went, that is the funny. Why did I not see it when it happened? It's just so funny. celebrities chasing each other, going through, the thing when they go through the window makes me love every single time. And if people don't know what we're talking about,

they're just going to have to watch it now and it has to come back. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. What was funny was at the time, my wife's a drama producer and she was making Black Mirror for Netflix. So different. So she does like, yeah, so she does like proper telly.

And it was funny like I'd come home and I say, you're doing and she's sort of doing this really deep and meaningful, you know, drama about whatever on Netflix. She's like, what are you doing? And I was like, oh, just, you know, watching Mo Farrah and Donald Trump run around, run up a travel later. Could not be any more different. Oh, I'm going to go. Actually, I watched a bit of it yesterday. I was properly, but barely, see, that's what makes me belly, I love things.

It's a horrible thing, and I admit it on this. And I keep saying, I love it when people fall over. So long as they don't hurt themselves. falling over. Yeah, same. I love a fall. It's always funny. I remember there was one episode we did where, I don't know how they managed to get away with it in the edit, but we were

there until about midnight, half 12, because these two guys, one of them was Boris Johnson, one of them was Mo Farrah, and they were so, or Will I Am, was it? And maybe it was Will I Am and Boris Johnson, I think it was. And they were so competitive, these two boys

inside, that they were trying to get through that window. And everything, you everything's safe and tap down and roped off and all that so stuff. But they were so boisterous and so violent that they managed to bring the whole set crashing down with them. Yeah. And it was heavy. I mean, only when I watched it back did I realize how close I was to this thing

landing on my head essentially. Like it was really close. Have they got any footage of that? Because I'd love to see that. It must be somewhere. There was definitely an episode where it fell down. I think they included some of it in there because, I definitely remember there was a point where they said,

look, it's going to be too long to get the set back up so we can carry on with this game. So we're just going to have to deal with it. I said, okay. So I ended up sitting on the end of the bed with Boris Johnson and Will I am either side. And I had to sort of give him a telling off. Like, look, you know, I'm not angry.

I'm just disappointed in you too. Oh, blimey. Jason, thank you, my sweet. It's always lovely to talk to you. It really is. I love to talk to you. And good luck with all you do. And may you forever be busier.

May you forever just make everybody's bones laugh. We'll get there. We'll get there. We'll be fine. But make sure we keep laughing. I keep saying it on social media. But in the darkest of times, you've got to find something to laugh at and laugh about. And I think it's important for people not to confuse laughing about the situation we're in.

and the madness and the madness of the times with having, you know, disrespecting people who are dying or struggling and stuff like that. You know, I think sometimes people conflate those two things together. You think if you're making fun of the situation, COVID or whatever it is, that means you're not showing respect to people who are struggling. And that's not the case, you know, but we have to laugh to get through. You know, have a little look at some comedy from the Second World War.

They did not stop laughing those people. You're absolutely right. me to do the same thing. That's exactly why we're doing this podcast because we just wanted everybody to remember that actually laughter is the best medicine. Yeah, definitely, definitely. Before you go, actually,

I picked up an old man a few weeks ago and I was taking into the hospital and I was saying, and we were chatting about comedy and humor during this difficult time. And he said, he said, I love laughing. And he was like in his mid-80s.

he said, maybe in towards 90. He said, I love laughing at, in a situation that you shouldn't laugh at. And I said, no, I'm the same. I feel the same. He said, I'm always giggling at funerals and stuff like that. And I said, no, I know what you mean, I'm the same. He said, I remember, I said, my best friend, he's no longer with us, but my best friend was a comedian in the, you know, back in the day.

And he said, I remember in Solford, when the Blitz hit, we were all in one of the shelters, all, you know, sort of 25, 30 neighbours are in this shelter. And all the bombs are, you know, going off. And eventually we sort of come out and everyone's covered in dust and there's houses have been decimated and, you know, thankfully nobody had died. There was a few injuries and stuff, but we're all checking everybody's there. And I remember looking up onto a mound of rubble.

And he said, my best friend was stood on the top of this rubble. This is like five minutes after coming out of the shelter. and somebody's piano in the house had obviously been destroyed. And this friend of his, who must have, you know, mostly in his teens or whatever, had the middle of the piano, all the wires, and he was just playing it like a harp just for a laugh, like on top of all this mound of rubble. And everybody started laughing.

He said everyone was just crying laughing at this kid who was playing a broken, bombed piano as a harp. and I said that is so funny that in that in like literally the worst time of your life somebody's A found something to do that might make everybody laugh and B everybody else is laughing And he said well I must say that Nobody was laughing as much as me because I thought

Even as a 10 year old boy I thought Well at least I never have to do those piano lessons again Oh that's precious You've got to find time to laugh You really have. Jason Manford, bless you. Thank you, my darling. My pleasure. Thank you so much to our exclusive sponsor of this episode. Go to Simprove.com and use the code Gabby 15 at the checkout for 15% of their 12-week program.

Coming up next week, the singer, the musical theatre star, the presenter, the all-round lovely guy, Mr Michael Ball. That Gabby Rawlsing podcast is proudly produced by Cameo Productions. Music by Beth Macari. Could you please tap the follow or subscribe button? And thank you so much for your reviews. I promise that the team and I have read them all and we really are rather overwhelmed and they really mean the world to us.

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