As the veteran political comic takes a new show on the road, he talks to Andrew Palmer about tax law, wrongful convictions and a swim in a peer's moat Mark Thomas has been "standing up" for forty years, which is impossible and also true.

Scan the room at a Jason Manford gig and you’ll see hundreds of happy people nudging each other and exchanging knowing nods. Whether the Salford-born comic is talking about relationships, life on the road, paddle tennis or anything else, really - being relatable is near the top of his list of priorities. Can he make out those responses, from under the bright spotlights?

This was a performance I’d been looking forward to for some time. On the night, we were at the back in the right-hand corner of the house, which turned out to be a double blessing. For one, it meant we had an aisle seat, which made getting out and topping up on drinks easier; secondly, it meant the formidable Stewart Lee couldn’t pick on us.

Moving a drag act from a showbar backdrop to a larger cabaret cum theatre venue before delivering a comprehensive performance of two halves, takes more than tits, teeth and a string of one liners!