Bradley Walsh and Jason Manford believe it's harder for family comics to be successful while edgy, more satirical comedy is flourishing. The host and judge of ITV1's panel show Odd One In believe it's tough to start a career as a family comic. Jason told TV Times: "You have to start off edgier than you want to be now. I began on C4 panel show 8 Out Of 10 Cats doing satirical gags. I worked with brilliant comics, but there were a lot of mean jokes knocking about whereas I’ve always positioned myself in the middle." Bradley agreed: "If you want to be a family comic now, it’s very difficult to find a place to ply your trade. Seaside comics finished years ago and there’s nowhere to put young acts. People like Jack Whitehall can come on shows like Odd One In as a new comedian, but we only do eight shows in a year." Despite this, Jason believed the recession meant comedy was going through a boom time because 'people like to find something to cheer them up. "At the same time, you’ve got huge acts like Michael McIntyre and Peter Kay doing big stadium tours. They open the door for people like me and John Bishop to do arena tours, because people go to their shows and think, 'That’s something I’d like to see again." Jason named Graham Norton as the best example of a comic who can 'do naughty, half-past-ten-at-night sort of comedy, but then host Eurovision and be fun and charming – that’s the trick.' Odd One In returns to ITV1 on Saturday, June 18.
