Manchester comedian Jason Manford has spoken out to defend actress Sheridan Smith after people have been blasting her for being “on TV a lot”.
Since the start of 2022, the acclaimed Lincolnshire-born actress – who is probably most famous for starring on cult Manchester sitcoms The Royle Family, and Two Pits of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, as well as supporting roles on Gavin & Stacey, and Benidorm – has appeared on our TV screens on four separate occasions.
She first starred in three-part BBC drama Four Lives at the very start of January, before Channel 5’s miniseries The Teacher was shown over four successive evenings later that month, and the first episode of ITV drama No Return began airing last week.
Smith is also currently the co-presenter of ITV reality competition show Starstruck, alongside Manford himself.
It’s fair to say that her numerous starring roles and television appearances this year have seen Smith take a lot of flack on social media in recent weeks, both from people poking a bit of fun at the situation, while others have been a little more critical.
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One person even joked that they’ve “seen more of Sheridan Smith than [their] family recently.”
The year is 2031. Sheridan Smith is now on every programme on British television. TV has been renamed Smithbox. The licence fee has been scrapped, but we all have to pay a Sheridan Tax instead,
But Manford has found some of the criticisms of Smith to be rather unfair, and has taken to Twitter over the weekend to defend the actress and urge people to “chill out”.
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In his tweet, the Manchester-born comedian, actor, and presenter told Smith’s critics that the fact she has appeared on TV so frequently this year is “not something she’s in charge of” and that it was the decision of “some scheduler” that the shows were aired so close together.
He then told people that “she’s excellent”, and we’re “lucky to have her”.
Manford said: “Seen a few comments about Sheridan being on TV a lot this week [and] it’s not sommat she’s in charge of, she would’ve filmed those 3 excellent shows last year and some scheduler decided they went on this week.
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“So chill out – also she’s excellent and you’re lucky to have her.”
Manford’s tweet has gone on to amass hundreds of likes, retweets, and comments from others agreeing with his comments.
Smith’s The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps co-star Ralf Little also responded to Manford’s tweet in defence of Smith, adding: “Such a weird comment isn’t it. Even if you didn’t like an actor, the idea that they have any say in when TV shows end up getting aired is ridiculous.
“It will have taken her the best part of a year to film all of that.”
Such a weird comment isn’t it. Even if you didn’t like an actor, the idea that they have any say in when tv shows end up getting aired is ridiculous. It will have taken her the best part of a year to film all of that.
Manford’s tweet has also been inundated with people singing Smith’s praises.
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One person tweeted: “Sheridan Smith a working class lass that made it. She will always be a success story in my eyes. Works hard and is one of our greatest actresses. Never a bad word for her from this Northern boy.”
Another added: “I’m delighted we have Sheridan – so versatile, makes me laugh, makes me cry, amazing lady, beautiful voice, what can’t she do?”
“Sheridan Smith is an outstanding actress, so the more we get of her the better,” a third said.
TV presenter Jeremy Vine also added in response to Manford: “I agree with this. Sheridan Smith is unbelievably good at everything she does and her range is remarkable. Haters, go and hate on someone more deserving.”
I agree with this. Sheridan Smith is unbelievably good at everything she does and her range is remarkable. Haters, go and hate on someone more deserving. Go Sheridan xx https://t.co/tpHxReGwuA
— Jeremy Vine | Here, on Tiktok, Insta & Facebook (@theJeremyVine) February 13, 2022
Public vote opens for ‘most memorable’ TV moment of the year at 2026 BAFTAs
Emily Sergeant
What was the most memorable TV moment of this past year? It’s time to have your say.
The BAFTA TV Awards for 2026 are merely months away, with the ceremony set to take place on Sunday 10 May, and now, the shortlist for the Memorable Moment Award have been announced and the public is being called on to vote for their favourite.
Each year, the Memorable Moment Award – which is currently sponsored by P&O Cruises – honours the impact of television in the UK and its power to ‘entertain, inform, and bring the nation together’.
The nominations were compiled by an ‘esteemed’ independent jury of influential TV critics, as well as TV presenter, Josie Gibson, showcasing key moments from 2025 that reflect the power of TV.
The six nominees for this year’s P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award are…
✨ Adolescence – Jamie snaps at the psychologist ✨ Big Boys – “I didn’t make it, did I?” ✨ Blue Lights – The police are warned of an ambush plot to silence a key witness ✨ Last One Laughing – Bob… pic.twitter.com/Mes4cCjwgH
So, what are the nominees for this year then? Which TV moments does the UK public get to pick from as the winner of the coveted award?
Nominations include moments from smash-hit TV shows like Netflix’s one-shot miniseries Adolescence, BBC’s iconic reality competition show Celebrity Traitors, and Prime Video’s side-splitting comedy show Last One Laughing.
The nominations are:
Adolescence (Netflix) – Jamie snaps at the psychologist
Big Boys (Channel 4) – “I didn’t make it, did I?”
Blue Lights (BBC) – The police are warned of an ambush plot to silence a key witness
The Celebrity Traitors (BBC) – Alan Carr wins The Celebrity Traitors
Last One Laughing (Prime Video) – Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade’s speed date
What It Feels Like For A Girl (BBC) – Byron leaves for Brighton to start uni, where she introduces herself as Paris.
The moment chosen to represent Adolescence is where main character Jamie becomes frustrated and then flies into a rage during his assessment by child psychologist Briony, while comedians Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade’s ‘speed date’ has been chosen to represent Last One Laughing, and of course, the moment where Alan Carr was revealed as the winner has been selected for Celebrity Traitors.
“It’s been a huge pleasure to chair this year’s jury and share in the thoughtful, passionate conversations about the standout television moments of 2025,” commented Hilary Rosen, chair of BAFTA’s Television Committee, as the shortlist was unveiled.
“From powerful drama to unmissable entertainment and brilliantly sharp comedy, the nominees reflect the creative breadth and cultural impact of best-in-class television.
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“I look forward to seeing which memorable moments resonate with the public, and the conversations they’ll spark well beyond the final vote.”
Voting is open until 9pm on Wednesday 22 April, and you can cast your vote on the BAFTA website online here.
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Review | What we made of Country 2 Country 2026, and why Manchester should be very excited
Danny Jones
Excuse me, but it looks like we might have a new favourite festival on the cards: Country 2 Country – and it’s very rare we gig in London and enjoy ourselves anyway near as much as we do up North, but now we’re already dreaming of just how good C2C Manchester could be.
In fact, scratch that, we know it is.
Billed as Europe’s biggest country music festival, there really isn’t anything quite like it here. Yes, there’s Buckle & Boots Festival closer to home, but there’s nothing in the folk and country world on this kind of massive scale, unless you go all the way to see the actual CMA Fest over in the US.
London’s also been lucky enough to host some very big names at BST Hyde Park too, but this fully-fledged arena weekender, complete with an outdoor festival hub, town square, trading post, a barn full of line-dancers, and SO much more, celebrates every single part of that culture.
By day, the aim is to make a little country town, complete with shops, food, drink and music aplenty. (Credit: Audio North)
But… We think the North can do it better.
So too did some of the acts and punters as well, by the way; we spoke to several people on-site who’d made the trip from all over because it was closer than Glasgow, Belfast or Berlin.
Up-and-coming British country rock artist, Bronnie – who was literally hours away from a move across the pond to pursue her dreams of living the cowgirl turned music artist experience down in the Southern states – said simply: “There’s always this feeling like there’s more fun to be had up North”
Moreover, the friends she’s already made over in America’s ‘Music City’, she says, have claimed that “the vibes are just better”, apparently. Not to sound too biased, but we obviously couldn’t agree more.
However, with the news that C2C is coming to Manchester city centre and Northern England for the very first time, people are already hopping mad at the idea of a Manc debut.
That’s to say that what The O2 in London isn’t special and will always be to most punters, we just know full well that our particular region is going to take to this new annual event like a duck to water.
A lot of the people we spoke to kept repeating the same: that working class connection, simple but relatable imagery, the pure poetry you’ll find not only in Nashville but creative cousins like Manchester.
The Broadway strip in Austin may be the spiritual home of this kind of music, but we Greater Mancunians lay claim to plenty of genres and some of the biggest artistic traditions ourselves.
With that in mind, we are convinced we’re going to leave a lasting impression when our inaugural Country 2 Country Festival comes to the AO Arena next year.
Our line dancing might leave a little to be desired, but we’ve got a whole year to work on it, not to mention plenty of time to dive even further into the UK’s growing country music obsession.
You can see more pictures from our 2026 C2C gallery down below.
Country fashion was everywhereThe official CMA Spotlight Stage was one of the bestNo one shyed away from a partyKruse Brothers were one of our favourite from the weekendAlana Springsteen was incredibleAnd by the evening, it’s a proper hedonist hoedown… (Credit: The Manc)
Emily Sergeant -
14th February 2022 
