I'm a PC guy but I laughed at Spike Milligan, Dave Allan, Ronnie Barker. None of them were PC - Milligan's stuff was, if anything, more racist than Manning's - but they will be remembered as great comics. Manning's act was tired, slow, dated and his comic timing was way off. That's why he won't be remembered - not because of his opinions.

Stephen, Cardiff,

A sad day for a Great British Institution he was a smashing comedian and actually had substance in his comedy compared to today's woeful PR PC obessed Britain. To Mr Manning R.I.P from an appreciatitve 17 year old Black lad.

Lee, London, England

His contribution to racial harmony was zero.

Michael J Rigby, Blackburn, England

Everything about Bernard's act, his attitude, his one-liners, his put-downs - was a wind-up. It was only the PC's, all of whom seem to have had a sense of humour bypass, that did not recognise this, and took everything he said literally. One of a kind, irreplaceable.

EddieB, UK,

Nobody has made me laugh as much as he did. He was the enemy of misery and those who revel in it.

David hazell, Bradford, UK

Funny man, sadly missed ! PC and Racism has gone way too far and no one has a sense of humour any more - if they do they are afraid to use it! This is now being used as an excuse for racist publicity and we make to much of it.

Why does the News have to state a person's colour or creed, it should not matter that they were black, muslim, jewish, catholic, mixed race etc !

Pablo, Knutsford, Chehire

Had the great fortune of seeing Bernard Manning a number of times at several venues.
Probably the funniest comedian there was, and there will not be another one like him thats for sure.
Hope Bernard gets the proper tribute he deserves and not be branded as a racist by these pc idiots in this cotton wool wrapped nanny state we live in.
There's only one Bernard Manning. Rest In Peace.

Russ Austin, Aldershot,

So sad to hear the loss of Bernard Manning,he truly was a giant of a comedian a warm man who never believed the so called political correctiveness squad.
He was a wonderful ambassador for charity he shall go to heaven and am sure a few jokes will be told to the good lord.
goodnight god bless bernard.

ADRIAN FISHER, LIVERPOOL, MERSEYSIDE

Having worked in theatres for several years in the ninties, I worked with Bernard Manning a few times. He was always polite and well mannered. He also always travelled to and from his beloved Manchester on the day of the show, whether he was doing more than one date at the same venue or not.

Bernard would always sell out, always make the crowd roar with laughter and would always send them home happy. Many of the other comedians, both old school and alternative, couldn't always match this feat when they played the same theatre. These days people like Ricky Gervais make uncomfortable comedy by creating characters and alter-egos that make unwitting comments that are offensive. These comments are effectively jokes Bernard would tell, only presented in a different way - like The Office episode when Gervais' character gets into trouble with his bosses for telling racist jokes The joke itself is one that Bernard might have told, yet Gervais gets away with using it on television.

Justin Beattie, Northwood, Middlesex

The fact that Bernard Manning's audience included non-white people and that he had black friends and raised money for black kids tells you how much of a racist he was. Although there was the odd joke Bernard should have dropped from his act, the reaction to his material - invariably from white 'liberals' - was ludicrously over the top.

The problem with many alternative comics is that they take comedy far too seriously; they try to import the world of the student radical (very embarrassing with middle aged performers) into what they think are amusing stories, and it just doesn't work. Indeed, one gets the impression that alternative comedians scrutinise their material meticulously to see if it could possibly offend anyone, rather than concentrating on what is funny. A comic's job at the end of the day is to make people laugh, not deliver State-approved material.

David Harris, London,

Imet bernard just before he was going to entertain in Llanelli.I saw him pull up in his Lincoln Continental, get out,and change his shirt.I walked over and shook his hand,he was a genuine,wonderful guy.In my opinion he was one of the funniest man in the UK, he was also a great singer.I wanted to go and see him in his club in Manchester ,but of course that's now impossible.A lot of stupid bigoted people said nasty things about Bernard, but he's the star for all the pleasure and happiness he's given.All our love to the family

Mike & Linda Browne, llanelli, carmarthenshire

Just Re-Watch the BBCs 6 o clock news report of his death, when they came out of the article, did you see the newscasters faces? They must have been told dont laugh at this - and put a really disaproving face on - talk about bad acting - and you ask is the BBC Biased LOL.

janey, sheffield, uk

This obit is right. He was a joke teller. He made people laugh at every aspect of life. Bernard Manning was a victime of those who read the Gruadian, new Labour (not old Labour) and the guv and BBC fear that no joke should offend anyone. Did you hear about the Irishman and the Scotsman when they visited Wales? If you did, then do not repeat anything to do with it. I painted a concrete gnome brown to show my yacht club was multi-cultural and got told off. When I said I was going to get another concrete gnome and paint it blue with pouty lips to show the club welcomed all genders I got a gentle warning. As a nation, we are in danger of losing our sense of sharp humour.

bob gledhill, Blackpool,

All I can say is thanks Bernard for making me laugh, I will miss your sense of humour.

I agree with Rob Foggon, "bring back the working men's club style of humour" and real comedy from the heart not written by a PR committee.

Peter, Bangkok,

Bernard Manning was the funniest comedian who made people laugh. He had strong views which he expressed through commedy. This morning I heard Yasmin Alibi-Brown on the Wright Stuff (channel 5) spewing out the comment that she was glad Bernard Manning was dead as he was a racist. Many Yasmin Alibi-Browns of this world come to this country to live (not liking something about their own country) & once here start calling us racists because we laugh at jokes about Scotts, Irish, Welsh, foreigners, religions, be it Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, islam, or about race or colour. Racism doesnt come into it with comedy. Is it racist to make fun of & laugh at someones difference. Are we racist if we support an English sports team playing against another country, or being a white person choosing to marry or live with another white person. This pc lot would have us believe that we are. Well they’re wrong. Its all about choice & personal opinion. It isnt racist to hold an alternative view or opinion

Lynda Plum, London, england

Manning was an extremely obnoxious man who made his fortune on the back of other vunerable people.

michael campbell, londonderry, N Ireland

I grew up in Bernard's era and he remains the best sportsmens evening comedian ever.
He was witty, intelligent and a very caring man and made everyone who was in his presence happier - that fact alone is worth a million pounds on top of all the money he raised !
He will leave an everlasting void.

John Wilcockosn, Poynton, Cheshire England

i remember going to see bernard at the city varieties in leeds years before he was banned. it was easily the best act i have seen comedy wise and i was still chuckling to myself days later, Rip.

matt scarlett, leeds, uk

The man was brilliant the easily offended should get a grip
Bernard Manning will be sorely missed

David Watson, Glasgow, Britain

Bernard Manning and his humour were a product of his era, which passed in the 1970s. Since then he's been a bit of a relic and I honestly don't feel sorry he's gone.

Ben Garside, Loughborough, Leics

Bernard Manning is vilified in life and death for telling alleged racist jokes.
Yet shock jock Scottie McClue on the Edinburgh based radio station Talk 107 can call for the public stoning of unmarried pregnant women in the town square and nothing is said or done.
Telling alleged racist jokes is worse than advocating violence against women?

Tam, Edinburgh,

How many people realise that Bernard was a very singer.
Top class

Bil, Ilford, Englans

"As for the PC brigade my answer is this - Bernard Manning made Britain a happier and more joyful place for most of us - but you the PC Brigade, with your narrow-minded, short sighted, ultimately self-defeating, counter-productive and thoroughly nasty policies have made us miserable and less free."

I totally agree with Idris Francis, Along with Chubby Brown, Bernard is one of the last of the true British comedians of the 70's & 80's, a great era of comedy that will never be paralleled....rest in peace Bernard!

Karl Roddis, Chesterfield,

Bernard Manning really was the people's comic -- and I mean 'of the people' in the way ordinary people mean it.
Manning made jokes about every category of people but at the expense of none of them.
His critics, by contrast, are racist against non-'ethnic' people and sexist against non-women.
Manning was one of the few people who made absolutely every normal well-meaning person crease up laughing.

steve moxon, sheffield,

Years ago my mother (a staunch Irish Catholic) and her friend would sit in her car after their weekly shopping trip and pass the time of day over a couple of ice cream cones. The man who owned the car park would always make a point of coming over to them and saying hello and checking that they were Ok etc. Much later she discovered that this polite and outwardly humble man was one Mr Bernard Manning, who would then have been at the height of his fame.
It is very easy and possibly even fashionable to dismiss Bernard Manning as a dinosaur from a past that we would rather forget. But my mother will always remember a gentleman whose genuine concern for two old ladies transcended any slights that the P.C. brigade could throw.

vincent, Newcastle, UK

Nothing funny in racist jokes, in life and in death we condemn any act of racial intolerance.

John Kwaku, London, UK

...i knew him as someone who could just make you smile with a look...these type of comedians are a dying breed....shame the PC brigade has to spoil everything. The likes of Chubby Brown et al are disappearing in favour of "more modern" comedians.....bring back the working men's club style laughter :)

rob foggon, Newcastle,

The Comedians , was simply one of the best shows ever on T. V with audience figures of 12 -14 million , how producers would give their "soul" for those figures . He ( Manning)was a very funny guy , although not appreciated by eveyone.

Parks, Grantham, U.K

One of my earliest memories was arriving at Paddington station not long after the war ended and hearing of the death of Tommy Handley. Very few great comics, from the golden era of the 40s,50's and 60s are stil with us, and Bernard Manning, one of the most naturally funny and gifted comics of that time, will be sorely missed.

If I had my time over again, I can think of no greater aspiration than being able to make a thousand people roar laughter, and send them home happier that when they arrived. That Bernard Manning did just that for 60 years makes him one of the greatest.

As for the PC brigade my answer is this - Bernard Manning made Britain a happier and more joyful place for most of us - but you the PC Brigade, with your narrow-minded, short sighted, ultimately self-defeating, counter-productive and thoroughly nasty policies have made us miserable and less free.

Idris Francis, Petersfield, UK

A very funny man. The last of the old brigade. If the very people he insulted can laugh at his jokes, what right does the rest of the society have to tell us he was a racist.

A sad day for anybody who likes standup comedy.

stewart o'rourke, Epsom, England

Bernard was superb. He never bowed to the politically correct idiots and told things how they were.
One of Bernard is worth a hundred of modern-day 'comedians' like Ricky Gervais who is just not funny at all.
The world of comedy has lost a genius, there could never be another Bernard Manning

Stuart Lathey, Gloucester, UK

Rip Bernard.

A true Manchester and comic legend.

Liam, manchester,