Jason Manford: Comedy culture needs to change to be a ‘safe place for everybody’
Manford said the culture of comedy needs to be fixed at a basic level following revelations about David Walliams and Russel Brand’s conviction.
Jason Manford has said comedy culture needs to change to be a “safe place for everybody” following revelations of allegations made against David Walliams and Russell Brand’s conviction.
His call comes as a series of “serious” sex offence allegations against Walliams are being probed by the Metropolitan Police.
The investigation was launched the same week that Brand, 51, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years after being found guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others during his career.
When asked about whether the culture of comedy needs to be changed, Manford, 45, told Lara Spirit on Times Radio: “There are lots of ways of trying to make sure that it feels like a safe place for everybody.
“You’ve got to fix it at that level, at the basic level, so that it can seep right into the upper echelons and the upper tier.
“There’s definitely a point where freedom of speech and the things that we joke about need looking at.
“There are definitely jokes that I’ve seen and heard that I think, bloomin’ heck, come on, people have come out for a good time here and this is not a subject we should be laughing about or joking about.”
The comedian believes it stems from the fact that the industry has largely been male-dominated, and therefore “comedy has always skewed towards men”.
He added: “Now we’re in 2026 where some of the best comics in the world are women.”
“We’ve got to start adapting both ways,” he continued, “whether that’s backstage in the upper echelons, but also at grassroots level, getting to that point where even at schools and colleges we’re saying, look, this idea that comedy is solely for lads is not true.
“It seems silly to have to say it but fundamentally, it’s there for entertainment purposes and if we’re saying jokes or talking about subjects that are not for everybody or aiming at smaller groups or minorities, I just think we’re going back to the 60s and 70s here. Let’s stay in 2026 and act accordingly.”