JASON Manford's USP, for years, has been his unadulterated niceness.

The comedian has a nice boy face, the sort that suggests he sees his nan at least once a week, does his share of housework and buys the Big Issue without being pressured.

And we know from listening to the Salford-born star he doesn't tell jokes that make audiences cringe.

Yes, he did get up to a little naughty texting a while back, but that was a blip in the Niceometer, and he's since done his time in the sin bin of the national consciousness.

Now, Jason's taking time off the telly to get back on tour.

But he smiles as he suggests he's not entirely at home with his image, which for the most part screams of extreme likeability.

He said: "Jimmy Carr says that because he's quite rude on stage, if he says 'Hello' to a fan in the street, that will make their day.

"By contrast, because I'm nice on stage, unless I ask a fan if they fancy a brew, they'll say, 'He's a bit rude'. I'm a victim of my own niceness."

He adds, grinning; "Sometimes I wish I'd gone down the Jack Dee misery route.

"But I'm the same on stage as I am in real life, which can be incredibly annoying at home."

The niceness has worked for Jason Manford who's in the premier league of British comedians, not quite earning Peter Kay money perhaps, but then who does?

And television exposure on shows such as Would I Lie To You and 8 Out Of 10 Cats has helped Jason develop a massive fan base.

He may not have the following of a Frankie Boyle or a Billy Connolly, but his image harks back to a golden era of comedy.

He's still just 32, but much funnier than those gentle comics of previous generations such as Jimmy Tarbuck or a Lenny Henry. And like Peter Kay, mums and grans love him.

"I'm excited to be getting back to what I really love the most, stand-up, in which essentially I moan about everyday life, but with punchlines," he says."

"It's really interesting to see the demographic of my audience. I get grannies, their kids and their kids. It's great to see.

"By now, people know that we share a sense of humour. They're aware of what they're getting, and I'm aware of what makes them laugh."

Jason Mansford was almost born to be a comedian. His first schoolteacher wrote ' Jason is always telling jokes. Perhaps he should become a comedian.'

That thought didn't occur to the youngster until he reached seventeen however.

HE WAS working as a glass collector at a local pub when he got the chance to see the likes of Peter Kay, Eddie Izzard and Johnny Vegas perform.

Peter Kay recommended Jason do the Higher National Diploma in media and performance at the University of Salford. And despite not having the required A Level grades he was accepted.

He later upgraded to a full degree. More importantly, he went on to make his name as an entertainer, working in local radio, going on to stand-up and winning the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival.

In 2007, Jason worked as Paramount Comedy's continuity announcer and writer until he took over from Dave Spikey as a team captain on 8 out of 10 Cats.

Since then he has won ITV1's charity talent competition Born To Shine and shown off his new-found singing talent on tour with Alfie Boe and alongside Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton in Sweeney Todd in the West End.

And he has a nice little earner performing the voice-over on the Churchill Insurance adverts.

"TV is simpler (than stand-up)," he offers. "You can do re-takes and TV is much, much easier. A lot of the time it's just professional reading. It's reading while trying to make it look like you're not reading.

"But you're not getting an immediate response. You don't know if something is funny until weeks later."

Stand-up offers that immediacy, the applause, why is why comics get on stage in the first place. "You can't give it up," he admits. "The buzz to be had from live comedy is like no other.

"People who haven't done stand-up focus on the negatives, asking, 'What's it like to die on stage?' I always say, 'It's horrendous, the worst feeling in the world'. But the lows are so low because the highs are so high."

He adds; "It's a huge risk, but when it goes right, there's nothing better. It creates a communal feeling that you just can't beat. You get all these people laughing and you think, 'I did that!' If you make one person laugh in a day, that's great. Imagine multiplying that by 10,000.

"On stage, you're everything. You're the boss. You're the performer, writer, editor, director. You're even Ofcom. You decide what to say. It's brilliant."

Jason's material is constantly evolving: "I only tour every couple of years, and the good thing is that over that time your life and the people who surround you are constantly changing. And as you get older, you get more opinionated."

Not too opinionated though. Otherwise he wouldn't be so nice.

l Jason Manford; First World Problems, Pavilion, August 30/31.