Jason Manford (born May 26 1981, Salford, Greater Manchester) is an English writer, comedian, actor and television presenter, who began his career in 1999. Manford was working in a comedy club collecting glasses when a performer didn't arrive for an evening set. Manford, who was 17 at the time stepped in to fill the gap, an event which marked the beginning of his comedy career. Six gigs later he was crowned The City Life North West Comedian of the Year. He hosted a breakfast show on Xfm Manchester until May 15, 2008. In June 2007, he took over from Dave Spikey as a team captain on 8 out of 10 Cats. he also did his own show which aired every Monday to Friday and was called 'Tonightly' during the month of August, and is rumoured to be back in early 2009. Jason cites Peter Kay as his comedy hero and comics such as Tommy Cooper & Les Dawson heavily influenced his comic style. He is currently on his first UK tour.