Bernard Manning

Bernard Manning (13th August, 1930 - 18th June, 2007) was a British stand-up comedian who achieved national fame in the 1970s, despite his controversial material that involved ethnic stereotyping, a type of comedy that was popular in the day. He was somewhat absent from television in the 1980s onwards because of this, although he did make numerous TV appearances, such as The Comedians, The Mrs. Merton Show and Bernard Manning From Beyond The Grave, a show in which he had, in effect, become the first celebrity to ever host his own obituary.

Outside of television, Bernard owned and regularly performed in the Embassy Club in Manchester, and did a brief but successful stand-up season in Las Vegas in the late 1970s. He appeared as himself in a cameo role on Coronation Street in December 1971.