I’ve heard said on the occasion of his death and prior, that Bernard Manning was a racist. I not sure he was. I think he was just one of the last of an old school, one of the last of his kind, if not the last of the non ‘pc’ comedians from the 70’s/80’s era.

At the height of his career he told jokes that made most of us laugh, political correctness hadn’t been invented and most people weren’t offended by the language he used. The same type of language was used by many comedians back then in public venues and on the TV; the social climate was not as sensitive.
He did not in later years use the same material that earned him his infamy but still remained controversial. I’m sure it was deliberate, his thing if you like. He knew what he was doing.

If you ever heard him being interviewed or talking about his life, you would realise he was not racist. A tad ignorant maybe, but not racist. Racism in its modern meaning was still years away. His gags were directed at anyone and everything. Nothing was sacred.
It pays to remember somebody , no mater what his or her race/sexual orientation/sex/religion, is the butt of any joke.
Having said all that, his style of humour is firmly in the past, references to race seems to be only one of the things performers of his ilk wouldn’t dream of employing these days. Quite right too.

Mother in laws, wife’s, the Irish and any other minorities may now be safe, but I think we have lost something in his passing. RIP Bernard.