Entertainment

'Nervous' Jason Manford takes helm of ITV's The Nightly Show

Jason Manford thought his first stint on The Nightly Show went well.
Jason Manford thought his first stint on The Nightly Show went well. Jason Manford thought his first stint on The Nightly Show went well.

The Nightly Show’s latest host Jason Manford had a witty retort for a critic who suggested Hitler would be a better presenter, joking: “He’s next week mate.”

The comedian is the latest celebrity to take over ITV’s much-maligned topical entertainment programme, which has struggled in the ratings and has frequently been panned by viewers.

As he got started on his stint, critics flooded social media to comment on his presenting skills.

He showed off his sense of humour again when another viewer said he was “nearly as good” as previous host Bradley Walsh.

The programme is attempting to replicate the late-night shows popular in the US and is running for eight weeks with a different host each week.Most of the presenters, including David Walliams, Davina McCall and John Bishop, have come in for some stick with the viewing public, although both Dermot O’Leary and Bradley were generally considered to be a good fit.Jason went on social media before his run got under way to jokingly complain that the day’s news did not have any good material for him to makes jokes about.He told his 241,000 followers on Twitter: “Looking at the papers for tonight’s @ITVNightlyShow! Jesus! Depressing! I will not be going particularly satirical this week! Just fun!”Despite receiving some criticism online, many viewers thought Jason did well in his first night on the programme.

Jason said afterwards that he was pleased with his debut, where he chatted to guests Matt Lucas and Ricky Tomlinson.