Jason Manford to play intimate one-off gig at Oast House to raise money for Cancer Research UK

Comedian Jason Manford is set to headline a charity event at The Oast House next year.

‘Howl for the Bowel’ will be in memory of Manford’s long-time friend Michelle Mullane – a former XFM and Key 103 radio presenter who passed away on Christmas Eve 2020 from bowel cancer at the age of fifty.

Salford-born Manford first met the radio host over a decade ago when she invited him onto her show, Michelle Around Midnight to chat about his up-and-coming comedy career.

To this day, the comedian still credits Michelle with giving him his first big break on the airwaves and helping him to carve out a successful career in comedy.

He said: “Michelle was such a dear friend and helped me before I was anyone.

“She gave a lot of comedians their first chance of being on the radio and all my times I spent with her I only remember laughter. So it feels fitting to help put this show together in her honour.”

The show will take the format of a festival-style event, with an exciting line-up in store which will include resident DJs, musicians and a number of special guests. 

The event – which was originally scheduled for 2020 – was actually Michelle’s idea, however, it was forced to be rescheduled at the hands of the pandemic. 

Michelle’s daughter, Liv Winter said: “I am thrilled to be able to announce my mum’s pride and joy – Howl for the Bowel. She worked extremely hard on this event despite being so poorly and I am honoured to continue her legacy. The fact it’s happening on her birthday makes it even more poignant.

“My mum made me promise the event would go ahead no matter what, so this big announcement is for her. Everyone involved in this project wants to make my mum proud, so we can’t wait to reveal the rest of the line-up over the coming year.”

The event is penciled in for April 18th, 2022 and tickets are now on sale, with prices starting at £35pp. All profits made from ticket sales and fundraising will be donated to Cancer Research UK.

You can buy your own tickets here.