Stand-up comic Jason Manford was hit by the comedy bolt out of the blue one night when he was collecting glasses in his local pub and saw Eddie Izzard, Peter Kay and Johnny Vegas perform.

He met Peter Kay after the show and the comedian gave him some good advice: Go back to school!

So Jason took a Higher National Diploma in media and performance at the University of Salford.

The team captain of Channel 4’s panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats until 2010, had already begun his entertainment path as a musician in a school band. His family were all musical and in 2011 he appeared on the TV show, Born To Shine. He learned to sing in an operatic style and went on to win the show.

Along with his comedy Jason tackled presenting, writing for comedy shows and acting. He had a small part in the television programme Ideal, and was on four episodes of Coronation Street as a hoover salesman.

He then moved on to the soap, Emmerdale, taking the same role of the same Hoover salesman.

His TV work included presenting The One Show, he was one of the home team with Peter Andre on the ITV game show Odd One In, and he was a panellist on Have I Got News For You.

Jason also presented Show Me The Funny, Sunday Night At The London Palladium and The Money Pitt.

He scooped a nomination for the prestigious Perrier Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2005, which opened his stand-up route and won him a host of new fans and he didn’t look back becoming one of the best known stand-up comedians in the UK.

Growing up in what was called the Triangle of Death was enough to convince the young Jason that he was working class.

South Manchester was known for its gang violence and high crime rates so the comedian believed that his feet were on solid working class ground, but as the years have gone by his conviction has been eroded. Slowly, parts of him seem to have morphed into middle class, so naturally the comedian wrote a show about it. Muddle Class comes to Swindon’s Oasis Leisure Centre on Saturday, February 9 at 8pm.

Tickets to see Jason are £31 on 01793 44540. - Flicky Harrison