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There was confusion on Good Morning Britain as host Ranvir Singh put a ‘bizarre’ question to Jason Manford.
The comedian appeared on the morning chat show to talk about his podcast Best Men, as well as his role as the Cowardly Lion in the stage production of The Wizard Of Oz.
But the conversation got derailed slightly as Ranvir asked if Jason’s character was a ‘friend of Dorothy,’ and then clarified she meant if the lion was actually gay.
‘Are you playing a gay lion in the Wizard of Oz?’ she asked.
A visibly baffled Jason stuttered over his words as he said: ‘Er, I don’t think… he’s a friend of Dorothy, which is a now used as a phrase, what gay people use to describe themselves.’
‘But he’s the original friend of Dorothy.’
He added: ‘He doesn’t get a boyfriend at the end of it.’
Jason noted there is ‘a gag’ in the stage show about friends of Dorothy, but added: ‘I don’t know. It’s just a family show. But if there’s another lion out there…’
Later, as the interview wrapped up and the GMB hosts reminded viewers that Jason was appearing in The Wizard of Oz, Jason jumped in: ‘As a gay lion, apparently.’
To which Ranvir responded: ‘A gay lion, a non-binary lion… give it a modern twist.’
While the friend of Dorothy phrase is well-known if not a bit outdated, Good Morning Britain viewers were genuinely perplexed at why Ranvir had gone for that question, with more than one labelling it ‘bizarre.’
Taking to Twitter, or X, one person wrote: ‘What on earth was that bizarre interview with @JasonManford about?’
They added ‘you could see that Jason was confused as to why they asked.’
Another asked: ‘Why did Ranvir actually ask Jason Manford if he was playing a GAY lion??! That was utterly cringing !!’ I don’t think he appreciated it either ?’
‘As far as interview questions go that must be right up there as one of the most ridiculous,’ one said.
And another stated simply: ‘What a bizarre question for Ranvir to ask.’
Jason stars as the Cowardly Lion in the production at the London Palladium, while Ashley Banjo plays the Tin Man and Gary Wilmot as the Scarecrow; Dianne Pilkington takes the starring role of Dorothy.
He previously told Metro.co.uk he would be keen to possibly pen his own musical in the future.
‘Maybe I’ll write my own musical. I’ve got a couple of things bubbling away. I’m writing with some friends, and so it’s just a case of getting ‘em up on their feet and seeing how it goes,’ he said.
‘I love being part of a cast and crew. I really enjoy that part of a musical. As a stand-up, it’s quite a lonely job, you’re by yourself quite a lot.’
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Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on Good Morning Britain
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