Fatherhood will take Jason Manford off the comedy circuit after his current tour, he tells Shereen Low

HE’S one of the hottest names in comedy, so it seems surprising that 28-year-old Jason Manford is already thinking of retirement.

The Manchester born-and-bred funnyman is planning to leave the world of stand-up to focus on fatherhood, following his upcoming mammoth nine-month UK tour, now that he’s the proud dad of twin girls.

“I love fatherhood. It is the best thing I’ve ever done,” he says, smiling.

“My girls are seven months old, so by the time the tour finishes, they’ll be 18 months coming to two years. Being away from home, that never gets any easier. It’d be nice to spend the next four to five years at home really, taking them to school, doing that sort of thing.”

Manford is, as some may say, at the top of his game. He’s won awards, played sell-out tours, appeared on The Royal Variety Performance and Live At The Apollo, and is known for being a team captain on 8 Out Of 10 Cats.

His extensive 140-date I’m Turning Into My Dad tour around the country kicks off in July, taking in two dates at New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion, and ends in April next year.

“It’s only that long because I’ve got babies. If I didn’t insist on being home four nights a week, I could probably get it done in six months but because I only want to be away one night a week at the most, then it’s taken a bit longer,” he explains.

Manford’s path was set when he worked at The Buzz comedy club, in Chorlton, collecting glasses at the age of 17. When a performer failed to arrive for an evening set, he stepped in, kicking off his comedy career.

“I love it,” says the entertainer Manford, who lives in Stockport with wife, Catherine, and their daughters. “When you put the work in it, it starts to work out for you and you start thinking, ‘This is going all right, I quite enjoy this’. My dad always used to say, ‘Find a job that you love because not many people do’. In that sense, I always wanted to do it.”