Jason Manford 'apologises' for comparing Blackpool owner Karl Oyston to an 'odious ferret'

Comedian has said he is sorry...to ferrets and ferret owners

James Orr
Thursday 30 April 2015 10:01 BST
Comments
Jason Manford (left) and Karl Oyston
Jason Manford (left) and Karl Oyston (GETTY/ REX)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Comedian Jason Manford has 'apologised' for describing Blackpool owner Karl Oyston as an odious ferret after being handed a solicitors letter from Oyston.

Cheeky Manford has responded to the letter to say that he is sorry...to ferrets and ferret owners for comparing them to the Seasiders' owner.

Oyston has enraged Blackpool fans over his running of the club in recent seasons, with the Seasiders relegated to the third tier League One this term. Just last week, a Blackpool fan was forced to make a public apology and pay £20,000 in damages after criticising him on social media. The money was eventually raised by football fans through crowd funding.

Manford's original tweet, in which he labelled Oyston as an "odious ferret" was sent yesterday.

Posting on his Facebook page, the former One Show host Manford wrote:

"Dear fans,

After my earlier post regarding calling Karl Oyston of Blackpool FC an 'odious ferret' I've been contacted by my lawyers.

So I would like to retract my comments, they were unfair and misjudged and I can only apologise for letting myself, my family and my fans down. The last thing I want is to cause upset and to be taken to court over a silly comment.

I can only hope that my apology is accepted by ferrets and ferret owners everywhere. They of course make lovely, loving, loyal pets & are easily trainable & entertaining. To compare them to that total bell*** was an insult to ferrets and for that I am sorry. To be even be mentioned in the same sentence to that knuckle-dragging slimy c********* was a miscalculation on my part.

Regards,

Jason Manford"

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in