Britain's greatest comedian dead-Bernard Manning

Subject: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: GUEST,a fan
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 03:31 PM

Bernard Manning; britain's funniest comedian died today. He was accused of being racist, sexist and homophobic, but he was funny. goodbye big man you'll be sadly missed!

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: GUEST,Not a Fan
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 03:42 PM

There must be a reason why no-one else has commented in over five hours. I wonder why?

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 03:46 PM

Here I was thinking it was another false Maggie Thatcher obit...

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 03:50 PM

a bigot and a bully -he will not be missed.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: alanabit
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 03:57 PM

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.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Morticia
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 03:57 PM

Troll alert

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: alanabit
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 03:59 PM

I should add that in terms of talent, I felt he was not in the same league as a Peter Cook, a Spike Milligan or indeed any of the Beyond the Fringe/Monty Python/The Goodies generation of comedians. His material was very traditional Northern club stuff - and the best of that either.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 04:06 PM

He was one of the lesser funny men on "The Comedians"....His 'talent' was overshadowed by Frank Carson, Ken Goodwin, Charlie Williams   and as I remember Bernard went on to the very 'blue' jokes as well as the racist etc.
I found some of his humour funny!
Best wishes to his family who I am sure loved him.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: JeremyC
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 04:08 PM

I'm relieved to see that this is not a thread about Stephen Fry or any members of the League of Gentlemen. I don't think I ever caught Bernard Manning on video, so I don't know anything about him.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Rog Peek
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 04:17 PM

That Stan Boordman of the infamous 'Focker' dabacle was asked to pay tribute says it all!

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 04:22 PM

Never heard of him. From the description, I'm glad no one ever imported him here.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: akenaton
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 04:31 PM

Bernard Manning's humour was dirty, near the bone and whether we liked it or not It was funny.

It cut through the PC bullshit like a knife.

I remember Bernard being interviewed by Caroline Aherne on TV.
Caroline was giving him shit because of the contentof his jokes calling him racist homophobe ect.
Bernard asked, "What would you do if you came to one of my shows and took exception to my jokes"   Caroline answered "I'd Bloody well walk out thats what".
Quick as a flash back came Bernard "Oh I don't like the sound of that; You're Irish ain't ya.......If you leave everybody leaves!!"

It was in the middle of the IRA bombing campaign in England...Poor Caroline was rendered speechless....not an easy thing to do.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: kendall
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 04:47 PM

Never heard of him.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 05:55 PM

He was a complete a-hole, an ignorant, bigoted unfunny git. Jeez, that would look good on his gravestone. And that, for those who don't know him, is approximately as tasteful as his so-called humour.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: GUEST,jOhn
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 06:03 PM

He was a comedian?

I thought he bred turkeys?

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Bert
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 06:12 PM

Like Kendall says "never heard of him."

So I doubt if he was as funny as Frankie Howerd, Kenneth Williams, Jimmie Edwards, Kenneth Horn or Johnnie Ray or the Two Ronnies or, or, or....!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: GUEST,Not a fan either
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 06:14 PM

He will be missed, but not sadly

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 06:46 PM

Nice one, GUEST,jOhn! That was a damn sight funnier than any joke he ever told.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: redsnapper
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 07:00 PM

May he rest in peace.

I did not like his "humour".

RS

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Peace
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 07:01 PM

Thought this was about Tony Blair.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Folkiedave
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 07:24 PM

He was an arsehole.

Delighted to see the back of him.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 07:32 PM

Sympathy for his family? Yes, definitely, but I had considerable sympathy for his family when he was alive and they had to put up with him.

He was bigoted, homophobic, self obsessed, arrogant, and unfunny, and of course he had his bad side too. I WON'T MISS HIM!

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: GUEST,a fan
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 07:47 PM

The big man told it like it was in the streets of Manchester and any other big city in Britain, for that matter. If you've never heard of him go out and find some of the tapes and DVd's of him. Judge for yourself and don't let the PC brigade stop you from having a "REET GOOD LAUGH, PET"!

His club in Manchester was always worth a visit - he was a gentleman, tho' a man of his time. He couldn't help that - called it as he saw it - and that's funny enough for me. No unfunny modern, sanitised humour for him. Building site brutal: a man in a man's world(in his time). No gloss; no pretention to sophistication - but bloody funny!

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 09:12 PM

"So I doubt if he was as funny as Frankie Howerd, Kenneth Williams, Jimmie Edwards, Kenneth Horn or Johnnie Ray or the Two Ronnies or, or, or....!!!" - Bert.

Exactly, Bert. Now these men were funny. Bernard Manning was a man of his time. In the 70s, no-one questioned the content of his humour. Thankfully, after the 70s, we did. However, he was a man and we should sympathise with any man's passing.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Big Phil
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 03:11 AM

He just told it like it is, no time for the PC, or tree hugging brigade.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Amergin
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 03:26 AM

I thought this was going to be about the queen....the whole royal family is a joke.

Subject: Obit: Bernard Manning
From: guitar
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:00 AM

Bernard Manning aged 76 has died, ok he wasn't to some people taste, however I thought he was funny, mind you there were some jokes that he told I thought was a bit terrible so RIP Bernard Manning.

Subject: RE: Obit: Bernard Manning
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:17 AM

Good riddance.

Subject: RE: Obit: Bernard Manning
From: Dreadnought
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:20 AM

Doctors have described his condition as "satisfactory".

Subject: RE: Obit: Bernard Manning
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:21 AM

There's a thread on this down below, which, love him or hate him, is where he belongs.

Subject: RE: Obit: Bernard Manning
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:22 AM

Shouldn't this be in the Something nasty is lurking thread?

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:36 AM

Any mention of Bernard Manning or anyone of similar obnoxious ilk always seems to bring out out the anti-PC brigade. Wear your anti-PC badge with pride! Go on, of course it's OK to offend women, black people, Jews, homosexuals and the Irish as much as you like! Haven't these bloody people got ANY sense of humour? They ought to grow thicker skins!

I think we need a fight-back. You can actually live your life quite happily without offending any of these groups, occasional unintentional lapses aside. To listen to the anti-PC brigade you'd think we were trampling on their God-given rights and forcing them to live under a form of linguistic tyranny. Not a bit of it. Being "un-PC" is no more than being insensitive and downright lazy.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: akenaton
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 04:58 AM

Steve Shaw...you are a fool.

My post regarding the CA interview was to illustrate the hypocrisy of the PC brigade.
It is composed of people who would object to jokes, cartoons ect, yet support the slaughter of innocent people for whatever ideology was fashionable at any given time.

Try to see a little further than the end of your nose.

In todays Times, the much loved Frank Carson described Bernard Manning as a "wonderful man" apparently whenever Frank entered the room Bernard would turn to someone else and remark "Can anybody smell semtex" I assume Frank is a big enough man to give and take..

My politics and Bernard Mannings were about as far apart as you can get, but I liked him for his humour in the same way as I like many here who are politically opposed to me.

Like all on the left, my ideology contains plenty of hypocrisy...Good for Bernard for keeping my feet on the ground.
Much of the hatred directed towards B.M. is simply because the truth hurts....Ake

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:10 AM

Hmm. Why don't you tell me what you really think of me! :-) If your earlier post was intended to do what you say it was intended to do I think you need to have another go.

Civility costs nowt, BTW.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: akenaton
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:26 AM

Please accept my apologies...I thought you had misunderstood my previous post.

As far as a PC "fight back" is concerned, it's a bit of an oxymoron, as to fight for any principle seems to be absolutely non-PC.

The whole idea of words being banned seems crazy to me.   Last week on BBC radio 4, I had to listen to intelligent presenters referring to the " N" word as if the listeners were children.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:26 AM

. . . the PC brigade . . . is composed of people who would object to jokes, cartoons ect (sic) yet support the slaughter of innocent people . . .

Yeah, have another go. Ake. What you said is complete, unsubstantiated nonsense of the sneering and smearing variety propagated by your 'hero'. It surprises me greatly if this is actually your view.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:29 AM

to fight for any principle seems to be absolutely non-PC

Good grief!

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:35 AM

Steve Shaw has a point. As much as I hate Political Correctness, (it allows santimonious prigs to continually sit on judgement on us,) it did stop jokes being told at the expense of others, which is a good thing. The best jokes are ones that tell on the person telling the joke or should be on unspecified people. It should not be at the expense of someone because of their ethnicity, race, creed, or whatever. Instead of calling it political correctness, we should call it politeness. Can anyone argue against politness?

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: akenaton
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:38 AM

Calm down Diane....My names T****** not Trotsky   :0)....Ake

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:44 AM

Wow! All this bile just because a 'comedian' died!

Chill out, guys

Rhiannon

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 05:56 AM

Many of those who sit in PC judgement on those who make jokes about racial stereotypes and other unfashionable subjects are quite happy to condone other less overt but equally insidious forms of disrespect.
A good example is The Office, where the character David Brent is a social inadequate, and this is the basis of much of the humour of many of today's comedy shows.
It is excused because people see it as almost true to life, and many say, "Oh we have someone just like that in our office" I would suggest that they do not, and would not dream of, laughing in the face of this real life person that they know. They are however happy to sit in the security of their own home and do so.
So many of today's 'Reality TV' shows are based on exploiting people's foibles, yet they are watched avidly.
Funny that the PC brigade scorned the old practice in Zoos, of holding a 'Chimp's Tea Party', but many are happy to watch people being treated in the same way on TV.

Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: akenaton
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:02 AM

By the way all you PC brigade why are so many of our society excluded from the PC "umbrella".   What about all thoe born "Illegitimate" who are forced to listen to their situation being used as a term of abuse....could it be that they are not voluble or visible enough to warrant PC protection?

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:15 AM

I doubt if we'll get much agreement, but my impression of Manning's popularity is that those who laughed at his jokes did so because they wished to stereotype the targets in the same way Manning did. His rise to fame covered the period of Enoch Powell, who deliberately and cynically exploited racism in an attempt to build a political power base, and Alf Garnett, an attempt to lampoon racist attitudes that backfired rather badly. Whether Manning was personally racist/ sexist/ homophobic isn't the issue; he was most appreciated by those who were have those prejudices, he knew it, and he made his career out of it.

It's important to distinguish between those who break "PC" taboos simply because they are taboos, and those who wish to return to open expression of the hatreds behind the taboo phrases. And the iconoclasts have to realise that those others exist and judge the probable effects of their words.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:22 AM

Some people laughed at some of his jokes, because they were funny.
I had no time for the man, I found him repulsive, but he made a living, so can't have been that much of a social pariah.
G

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:26 AM

Exactly, PMB.
That's all the stuff I was busy trying to formulate.
If Mr Manning really was, as you sugggest, simply exploiting the prejudices of the pig-ignorant to further his career, this is far worse than simply expressing his own views, however vile.

Giok: I've never watched The Office or Big Brother. Didn't feel the need.
Though the difference between BM's in your face blatherings and that sort of thing is that the latter presents a situation and allows the viewer to think and make up their own mind about the behaviour, whereas BM reinforced and encouraged such prejudice.
I know which is the more dangerous.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:52 AM

In The Office Ricky Gervais was taking the pee out of himself. So was John Cleese in Fawlty Towers. They would deny, rightly, that were creating exact stereotypes of anyone. They were not propagating damaging messages in either case, but the skill of their writing lay in the fact that they focussed accurately on some traits in their main characters which a lot of us have which we can laugh at.   As for Death Us Do Part, I don't agree that it backfired. It was courageous for its time and questioned, in the ridiculous character of Alf Garnett, many predigested attitudes of the time that usually went unquestioned, at least far more so in those days than now. Alf hardly came out of any of it with dignity. I should like to know in what sense it backfired, other than you may not have found it funny. As for denigrating people born outside marriage by the use of the derogatory "bastard," it's now so far removed from its original meaning in its everyday usage that it's perfectly ridiculous to suggest that every time it's used it's an offence to such persons, even more so because these days it's perfectly legitimate to be illegitimate anyway! And in Oz it isn't even always derogatory. "G'day, how are you, you old bastard!" :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 06:58 AM

While the performer is not 'portraying a particular person' the members of the audience are identifying the character with someone they know.
If Gervais was taking the pee out of himself, why was he using someone else's name?
G

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:02 AM

Steve clearly can speak for himself, but he surely meant that Gervais's character was taking the piss (yes, I did watch some of it once). RG is an actor and was using someone else's name because he was playing a part, not necessarily being himself. It's called drama and it's what actors do.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: Folkiedave
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:05 AM

apparently whenever Frank entered the room Bernard would turn to someone else and remark "Can anybody smell semtex".

Even if it was funny the first time he said it - that will give you an idea of his originality.

I am northern working-class background, I know loads of similar people, and they all thought he was a racist pig.

As for the "making a living so he must have been good" argument - heroin and arms dealers make a good living too.

Subject: RE: BS: Britain's greatest comedian is dead
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:14 AM

"but he made a living, so can't have been that much of a social pariah. .......Me

"making a living so he must have been good" ....... Folkie Dave

Spot the difference?
G