Jason Manford addresses Craig David 'assembly banger' beef

Funny man Jason Manford has been hitting headlines of late! His huge UK tour has just added an extra 89 dates — and he's been embroiled in a debate over Craig David's 2024 banger 'In Your Hands'.

Jason joined Hits Radio Breakfast to talk about all things panto, comedy, posh kids — and whether there's beef with Craig...

“A man who can sing, act, tell jokes and drive an Iceland delivery van," Fleur welcomed Jason to Hits Radio Breakfast, along with James and Matt, to find out more about his new tour, which kicks off this week...

“It's going really well," said Jason. "I just love getting out there and having a laugh.

“I just think, when the world’s a bit tough, there’s something about comedy that, just, for a couple of hours you can forget about all the stress and just have a little laugh.”

He told Hits Radio the show is bringing in audiences of all ages:

“I’m getting three generations of the same family. I’m getting people bringing granny, cause they’ve seen us at the musical show, or something like that. And I’m getting a lot of teens now, I guess from Waterloo Road. I think I’m like a gateway comedian for the harder stuff.”

What's the story with Craig David's 'In Your Hands' single?

Jason Manford fans will know the comedian loves an 'Assembly Banger' and brought out a whole album of them last year. On the record is a recording of 'He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands'...which of course we all remember from our school days.

But it was in September 2024 that Craig David released his own remix of the song — leaving Manford fans (and his mum) questioning whether it would upset the comedian.

Joking with the Hits breakfast team, Jason said: “Absolutely fuming! Where’s he got that idea from. What…my album…he didn’t know about it?!"

But in all seriousness, Jason laughed it off: "I don’t think either of us can claim a centuries-old school hit!”

Brilliantly, it was after hearing it on Hits Radio that Jason's mum alerted the comedian to Craig's new, country themed, banger!

Jason on his 'posh kids'

The 'Muddle Class' comic has previously joked about his 'posh kids', sharing hilarious snippets of family life with six children. He told Hits Radio:

“We’ve got a cleaner and I remember going into my daughter’s room when she was about 10 or 11 and I said this room needs tidying, sort it out. She wouldn’t do it. In the end I did that classic and said if you won’t do it, who’s gonna do it, because I’m not doing it. And she looked at me and said…Suzanne will do it! Our cleaner!

“She was 10-years-old, she’s 15 now. And Sue, our brilliant cleaner...she has not been in that room for five years. I was like ‘do not go in that room ever again’ because you just can’t have it!”

But it's the story of the terrace houses which had Fleur in stitches, with Jason joking: “I’ve created monsters!

“I remember them having a sleepover at my brother’s house and he rang me and said you better come and get your kids, they’re gonna get us battered on our estate.

“He said I’ve just caught one of them running up and down the street laughing because all the houses are stuck together."

"Panto keeps theatre alive!"

No stranger to the stage, Jason is taking on panto again this year, playing Prince Charming in Cinderella at the Manchester Opera House. He told Hits Radio why panto is so important:

“There’s a lot of people coming to the theatre for the first time when they come to panto. A lot of kids' first introduction.

"But people can be quite snobby about panto. I’m like mate, you’re seeing The Cherry Orchard in April because we did panto. Panto keeps theatre alive!”

When is Jason Manford taking 'A Manford All Seasons' on tour?

Jason's tour 'A Manford All Seasons' gets underway at the O2 Apollo in Manchester on Thursday 28th November, and continues into 2025, finishing at the Blackpool Opera House a year later, on Saturday 29th November.

Now check out these tours, happening soon...

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• Jason Manford