TO his many friends Bernard Manning was both the undisputed king of comedy as well as being a prince among men.

Loved and reviled in equal measure for his politically incorrect humour, he also helped raise thousands for local charities and sports clubs and went out of his way to help people in Manchester – the city he loved.

Ricky Hatton first got to knew Bernard through their charity work together and said it was a privilege to regard him as “a friend.”

“I’ll never forget that day a couple of years ago when I went to visit him and he was sat in his underpants drinking a cup of tea,” Ricky told the M.E.N. from his training camp in Las Vegas where he is preparing for a fight against Jose Luis Castillo.

“He went upstairs and I thought that it must be to put some clothes on but when he came back down he was carrying his old underpants and wearing a new pair.

“He gave me the old pair which I put on and I don’t think that I’ve ever laughed as much as I did that afternoon.

“Bernard was a truly wonderful man who cared enormously about the people of Manchester and it was a true privilege to have known him.”

Comedian Frank Carson knew Bernard even before the pair got their first major break on the ITV talent show, The Comedians.

“The thing that you’ve got to remember about Bernard was that he would have a go at you regardless of who you were and it was never to be taken personally,” said Mr Carson.

“I took loads of abuse about being from Northern Ireland at a time when the British troops were being killed there but, because it was Bernard, I found it impossible to take offence

“He was just a very funny man and, from a professional perspective, I’ve never known anyone with comic timing like him.”

Pay your own tribute to Bernard here .

Another entertainer whose career was launched at the same time as Bernard’s on The Comedians was Stan Boardman.

“A lot has always been written about Bernard being a racist comic but he was just someone who was out to shock people and not conform to any kind of political correctness,” he said.

“The thing to remember about Bernard was that he never hurt anyone with his jokes. I’ll always remember one night when we were performing at his club and there was a table of eight black Jamaicans who he spent the best part of an hour ad-libbing with.

“They loved every second of his act - and I’m sure that they would have walked out if they hadn’t – and at the end Bernard made them take a bow and take the applause with him.”

Comic Mick Miller added: “He was a living legend in the world of comedy– it’s as simple as that.”

“Whenever I was in the same building as him he would announce that he had seen William Shakespeare wandering about because of my bald head and long hair.

“And I’ve never known any entertainer have the ability to fill the theatres in Blackpool like Bernard could.”

Producer of The Comedians, Johnnie Hamps - who is widely regarded as discovering Bernard – agreed that it was his impeccable timing which made him exceptional.

“I remember taking Bernard to America for the first time and he could have made a fortune in Las Vegas,” he said.

“But he never wanted to be away from Manchester for any length of time because that was the city he loved and where he wanted to be.

“As well as being an incredibly funny man he was also one of the nicest people you would ever meet and I know for a fact that financially helped several old ladies who from Manchester who had fallen on hard times.”

Jim Bowen agreed that Bernard could have been massively famous around the world but chose the north west instead.

“He loved everything about this region – not least the people who live here,” said Mr Bowen.

“I don’t think that there’s any doubt that he had the best timing of all the comics who appeared on The Comedians and I remember that fully one night when we all performing a charity gig at The Palladium, in London.

“It had been organised by Jim Davidson who had deliberately saved Bernard to last and he pleaded with him not to swear too much because the audience wouldn’t like it.

“I’ll never forget that glint in Bernard’s eye when he walked onto the stage and his opening comments were so blue and so funny that he brought the house down and stole the show.

“As entertainers go, I don’t think that anyone on the circuit offered such good value for money or was as funny as Bernard.”

Stand-up comic Smug Roberts - who grew up in Manchester with Bernard’s son - described him as “irreplaceable.”

“Some people loved his comedy and others didn’t – Bernard wouldn’t have been bothered either way,” he said.

“He just got on with doing his own thing and raising as much money for Manchester-based charities and organisations as possible.”

Bernard raised tens of thousands of pounds for Radcliffe Borough Football Club, of which he was also president, over the past decade.

“He came to see matches several times each season and was one of the club’s best assets - his generosity knew no bounds when it came to helping us fund-raise,” said Dave Murgatroyd, the club’s director.

“He has been known to throw open the doors to his club and say you fill it and sell the tickets for whatever you can and I’ll be there.

“As well as that, he would hold the Bernard Manning Golf Classic at Mere Golf Club each year which used to raise thousands for us.

“But quite apart from the work he did for us he was just a wonderful human being, completely unaffected by his fame and it was a true pleasure to be in his company.

Entertainer Vince Miller, compere at Bernard’s “living wake” last month, said: “We’ve lost one of the greatest comic talents this country has ever known.  I met him in 1966 and single-handedly he’s done more for my career than any other person.   He asked me to compere his wake, and on that night, apart from his legs being a little wobbly he seemed in good spirits. 

He said that night that he’d be with us all for a long time yet, but sadly there was someone looking down from above who saw things differently.  Everything with Bernard was comedy and the amount of money he made for charity was utterly unbelievable.  He’s going to be very sadly missed.”

Pay your own tribute to Bernard here .

See our picture gallery of some of his unforgettable moments here .

Read more about Bernard via the links on the right of this page.