I did not like the jokes and I did not like the style. I found the humour to be based on the, "We are all smarter than that idiot" type of thinking. He was a technically good comedian with good timing and he knew how to work his audience.
Whether or not Bernard Manning was a racist is more of a moot point. Reading about him, I think it is more likely that he misjudged the effect of his humour. Fortunately, relatively few people are wilfully racist or cruel. I can't find it in me to condemn him outright - especially at a time when people are grieving for him. It is quite possible that I could have liked the man while disliking his show. That would be true of more than one person, whom I have known.