Royal Variety Performance viewers divided by Jason Manford's 'class jokes'

Viewers of the Royal Variety Performance on ITV were left divided by Jason Manford's jokes about his middle class children and 'working class' brother as he kicked off the ITV show

Viewers of the Royal Variety Performance have been left divided by Jason Manford's opening jokes about class. The Royal Variety Performance kicked off this evening, with Jason Manford at the helm of the show.

The performance was filmed back in November and is now airing on ITV, with Jason hosting proceedings. Jason kicked off the show with a joke about his kids being middle class and him having been from a working class background.

"I've created monsters," he quipped as he told a joke about how his kids refused "smashed avocado" because it was warm, with Jason joking that it was actually mushy peas and it even earned a laugh from the Prince of Wales.

One viewer wrote: "Can't believe Jason Manford is rehashing all this stuff about his brother and class. Been doing it for years #royalvariety." Another added: "Nice enough bloke but he ain't that funny. #RoyalVarietyPerformance."

A third penned: "I like Jason Manford. He’s a good host. #royalvarietyperformance," with a fourth sharing: "Jason Manford is the least funny comedian. He's right next to James Corden. Trying *so* hard to stay relevant and appear "in touch" when he's painfully boring and so out of touch with his "working class" roots."

This year, the Prince and Princess of Wales are in attendance at the event, with the funds raised going to the Royal Variety Charity, which supports those in the entertainment industry who need care and assistance. The pair were seen grinning, with the Princess of Wales overjoyed to see Paddington brought to life on stage in the musical, penned by Tom Fletcher.

The show dates back to 1912, with His Majesty King George V and Her Majesty Queen Mary in attendance. This year, there will be performances from the likes of Les Misérables - who will have a whopping 400 performers, including Michael Ball, Matt Lucas, Katy Secombe, Bradley Jaden and Killian Donnelly to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary.

There will be a performance of Paddington The Musical, introduced by composer Tom Fletcher whilst Jessie J will sing her new track 'I'll Never Know Why' off her forthcoming album. Madness will make their debut appearance at the event too.

Stephen Fry will be there and there will be a magical performance from Britain's Got Talent winner Harry Moulding as well as impressions from the cast of Dead Ringers. Sir Bob Geldo and Midge Ure will be on hand to introduce a special performance from the Live Aid musical 'Just For One Day' and Strictly star Johannes Radebe will lead the cast of Kinky Boots.

Jason Manford said of his hosting duties: "The Royal Variety Performance is always such a spectacular night, so I’m genuinely chuffed to be asked back as host. The last time I did it was in 2020 - which, if you remember, was during the pandemic. I had a virtual audience… was like doing a gig in front of a Curry’s window!..

"Nothing says showbiz quite like getting heckled by someone who’s accidentally left their mic on while eating crisps. So I’m very excited to see some actual real-life human faces in the audience this time!"

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