Comedian Jason Manford has reportedly paid £1.1 million to settle a substantial tax bill. The payment was necessitated by unpaid PAYE and National Insurance contributions for his holding company, Invisible Man Ltd, which was placed into voluntary liquidation in 2017. The costs associated with his divorce settlement following his split from his first wife, Catherine, also contributed to the need to liquidate assets.
Manford, 45, was compelled to sell portions of his 10-home property portfolio to meet the financial obligations. Documents filed with Companies House indicate that the sales generated over £3 million, which was used to clear the tax liabilities and divorce-related expenses.
Invisible Man Ltd operated primarily as a holding company for a portfolio of investment properties. Manford had previously built this property empire by acquiring homes in the Greater Manchester area for rental purposes.
In addition to his comedy career, Manford has taken on roles as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and recently starred in the UK premiere of the Broadway musical 'Something Rotten' in Manchester. The comedian has also publicly discussed a significant weight loss of approximately three stone over 18 months, achieved through playing padel tennis and consulting with personal trainers and a nutritionist. He stated that his doctor had advised him to lose weight to avoid knee replacement surgery, and that he had been contemplating his weight daily for much of his adult life.