Jason Manford looked baffled after being asked a “bizarre”The Wizard of Oz-related question on Good Morning Britain.
The comedian, who is currently playing the Cowardly Lion in the West End production of the movie musical, was a guest on the ITV breakfast show on Wednesday (9 August).
However, he expressed his confusion by GMB host Ranvir Singh’s particular line of questioning regarsding the sexuality of the character.
“Now listen, you've said that when the lion is being described as ‘the best friend of Dorothy', people haven't realised that the lion is gay,” she said, to which a visibly flummoxed Manford, replied: “Do you think so? I don’t think...”
Singh interjected: “I’ve read this,” before asking: “Are you playing a gay lion?”
Still confused, Manford laughed, and said: “This is the randomest question. I don’t think any of our sexuality comes up in the subject. I mean, he’s a friend of Dorothy, which obviously is now used as a... as a phrase gay people use to describe themselves. But he’s the original friend of Dorothy.”
When Singh appeared to take this as an answer in the affirmative, Manford added: “But I don’t think he’s... he doesn’t get a boyfriend at the end of it.”
Singh’s co-host, Ed Balls, stepped into help clear up the awkward encounter, stating: “If you’ve got a modern reworking of the story, and you say ‘a friend of Dorothy’, it’s a natural [assumption].”
“Oh, there’s a gag in it, don’t get me wrong, there’s a gag to be had,” Manford replied.
Still looking rather confused by the question, Manford tried to hold back his laughter, as he continued: “But he’s... Yeah, I guess so? It’s just a family show, isn’t it, that we’re having a bit of fun with.”
Last week, Manford made headlines after sending a message of support to actor Georgie Grier, who shared a photo of herself in tears after just one person showed up to her first show at Edingburgh Fringe.
Jason Manford stars in the West Rnd production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’— (S Meddle/ITV/Shutterstock)
Manford went viral after sharing a reassuring video describing his own similar experience when he was starting out in the industry. The next day, Grier’s show was almost sold out and a debate has since arisen regarding the sharing of similar posts, which some argue is an attempt to drive audiences to their performances.
Days later, comedian Mark Watson poked fun at this debate with a joke that “horrifyingly” backfired.
The West End production of The Wizard of Oz is being held at the London Palladium. Manford was also promoting his podcast Best Men, which is about being the best man at weddings, that he co-hosts with Steve Edge.
