Jason Manford was 40 minutes late for his gig at Lincoln's Engine Shed last night so to make up for it he bought a round of drinks for the entire audience while they waited. The bill came to £3532.40. Manford was due onstage at 7.30pm but realised he was going to be a little late when he was caught up in traffic due to roadworks at Woodhead Pass on the A628 netween Manchester and South Yorkshire.

Not surprisingly he was given a particularly warm welcome when he finally appeared onstage, having quickly parked his car and changed his shirt. Fortunately for the Salford comedian the venue only holds 850 people. Earlier this week he hosted the Teenage Cancer Trust Comedy Night at the Royal Albert Hall in front of an audience of 6000. 

Manford owes his career to working behind a bar himself. When he was 17 he got a job collecting glasses at Chorlton's Buzz Club. He became interested in stand-up while watching the acts and one night when they were short of performers he made his debut there.