Jason Manford 'nearly dies' in motorway drama
Jason Manford says he 'nearly died' in a car crash, when two of his car's tyres blew out on a busy motorway. The stand-up comedian joked that he wet himself as the car skidded across three lanes of the M6 as he drove to a gig in Swindon. The 29-year-old was in the passenger seat of the car, with tour manager Alex Adamson driving, when it crashed on Wednesday afternoon. The comic wrote on Twitter: "B****y hell. Just nearly died! 2 tyres blown out in the fast lane on way to Swindon! Waiting for Rescue!" Minutes later, he added: "Poor @alexadamson's still shaking. I was in passenger seat, think a little bit of wee came out while he got us across 3 lanes in 5 seconds!" Jason, who will host The One Show with Christine Bleakley from next month, received support from many of his 110,000 followers on Twitter, including TV presenter Eamonn Holmes. The This Morning presenter sent Jason a jokey message, reading: "At least u have lived to tell the tale - I would have felt so guilty taking over The One Show!" Jason had been due to perform a sold-out set at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, which he was forced to postpone. Just hours after the accident, Jason sent a message to his fans to thank them for their support. He said: "Thanks for keeping me company guys, @alexadamson's a little shaken, but he's a b****y trooper. I'm alright. But 2 driver-side tyres! How?"
Get the What to Watch Newsletter
The latest updates, reviews and unmissable series to watch and more!
Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.