Jason Manford has called for a cultural shift within the comedy industry, saying it must become a “safe place for everybody” in the wake of allegations against David Walliams and Russell Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault.
His comments come as the Metropolitan Police investigates a series of “serious” sexual offence allegations against Walliams.
The probe was launched in the same week that Brand, 51, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison after being found guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.
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.”
Manford is among a small number of celebrities to have spoken out about Walliams since the Little Britain star was accused of sexual assault and grooming girls as young as 15 in a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV on Tuesday.
One of the first to address the allegations was Jonathan Ross, who appeared on several TV shows with the comedian and made a controversial joke about Walliams and 15-year-olds at the British Comedy Awards in 2004, which featured in the investigation.
Ross said he was “as horrified” by the allegations about Walliams “and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation”. He added in his statement on Wednesday: “There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.
“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”
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