Jason Manford admits he is ‘chuffed to bits’ as new game show The Answer Run becomes best BBC daytime quiz show

Jason Manford’s new series The Answer Run is the best BBC daytime quiz show in a decade.

The 43-year-old comedian told MailOnline he is ‘really happy’ with the response to the series, which launched earlier this month.

The debut episode on Monday 19 August attracted 1.1 million viewers, representing a 17 per cent market share, making it the most watched BBC1 Daytime quiz show opener in a decade.

The series also attracted many younger viewers, due to the summer holidays and Jason’s appeal to the target audience.

Jason said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled with the response to The Answer Run.

‘It’s just fantastic that nowadays more than a million people can watch a brand new program live on TV.

‘I really hope others who missed it will still play iPlayer.

‘It shows once again that people are looking for new and fun quiz shows that they can shout out the answers to at home.

‘See you every day at 4:30 pm.’

In this series, three duos compete against each other using quick general knowledge.

The format is based on 50/50 questions, where each question fits only one of the two given answers. However, the pressure of The Answer Run means that participants don’t have much time to make their choice.

Jason filmed 25 episodes for the debut series, all of which were filmed in Glasgow. Some viewers on social media described the quiz show as ‘complementary’, among other positive comments.

A viewer wrote in an article on X: ‘I have to say I’ve really enjoyed The Answer Run so far.

‘Manford is a great presenter and it’s another addictive quiz show to shout at on my TV.’

Another wrote: ‘Has the potential to be a really good show. Always liked Jason Manford.’

A third added: ‘Great timing from the BBC. Get rid of all the people who are fed up with Tipping Point re-runs or don’t like racing.’

Jason recently joked that his teenage children find his career in show business “embarrassing.”

During his guest appearance on ITV’s Loose Women, the comedian said “two of them” when asked by presenter Judi Love if his children were his biggest fans, adding that he’s “lost the teenagers”.

The father-of-six explained: ‘When I did pantomime a few years ago, there was a big poster at their school of me as Captain Hook. And I said, ‘Have you told your friends that’s your dad?’ They said, ‘No, we just said it was a coincidence – the same surname.’ They have that kind of shame.’

But despite their discomfort around his profession, he still makes “dad jokes” in their presence.

He said, ‘You really need dad jokes. I make them all. I take a couple of my kids and a couple of the neighbors’ kids to school, and as I’m backing out of the driveway – this is a good one, you can have this one, all parents can have this one.

“As I’m backing out of the driveway, I think, ‘Oh, this takes me back.’ I do it every day. That’s the trick of the dad joke, do it every day.”

Jason has four children from his marriage to his ex-wife Katherine: 14-year-old twins, a 13-year-old daughter, and a son born in 2012.

In 2017, he married his second wife, Lucy Dyke, and together they have two children.

The Masked Singer star, whose new nationwide stand-up tour A Manford All Seasons kicks off in November, has always been very open about his parenting, especially during his comedy performances.

He says, “I talk about it a lot in my stand-up because it’s true. The problem with parenting, of course, is that of all the jobs you have, it’s the one job where you don’t know if you’re doing it right until it’s too late to do anything about it.

“So you just have to do everything with love and faith and I think there’s honesty. I think there are times when you do things wrong as a parent. I come from a background where my parents were not apologetic to children.

“So now I think we’re a little bit different. Now you say to your kids, ‘Look, I got that wrong.’

Jason will also be showcasing his acting talents this autumn in the BBC1 series Waterloo Road, playing the role of headmaster Mr Savage.

Jason said of his new role: ‘What an absolute treat it is to be part of the cast and crew of Waterloo Road, right here in my home city of Manchester.

‘My children and I all watched the series on iPlayer during lockdown.

‘It’s such a brilliant, iconic show, I’m so proud to be part of its history.

“Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. And if I were to become a principal now, I know I would have hated it.”