Comic Bernard Manning says he has no intention of toning down his act when he returns to Bradford tonight.

The controversial comic's last appearance on a bill in the city prompted a 150-strong crowd of protesters to throw eggs outside the club where he had been due to appear. The star failed to arrive and the show was cancelled.

Now a new row has broken out over his appearance tonight at the Drop Kick pub in Low Moor. An anti-racist campaigner today urged people to boycott the pub and local councillors who represent the Low Moor area have condemned his appearance as "offensive" and "in extremely bad taste".

Mr Manning, notorious for his racist and sexist jokes, is giving his services free of charge to help licensee Jean Brogden and her husband Bob raise money for a children's Christmas party.

He told the Telegraph & Argus he was glad to help.

"I have known Bob for years," he said. "He told me he had this thing going on and I was happy to do it. I won't be toning anything down. I don't think there's anything to tone down. I have been doing this for 50 years and you always get value for money with Bernard Manning.

"I understand several Asian people have bought tickets, and I'm not surprised. I think they are very open-minded people."

Local councillors say it is in bad taste - but Mr Brogden, who has booked Mr Manning many times at other venues, dismissed claims he was offensive to women and Bradford's ethnic communities.

He said: "I've sold ten tickets to Asian and Pakistani customers of mine whom I know, and they know they're going to be in for a bit of stick when they go along.

"These councillors are killjoys. I thought Bradford Council is supposed to be promoting business - well what about pubs?"

But Councillor Dave Green (Lab) said: "Given the nature of the community in Bradford and the fact that some of his jokes are extremely offensive to women and ethnic minorities, I would prefer that he wasn't playing in the city."

Ateeq Siddique, youth and racial harassment worker at the Bradford Racial Equality Council, said: "Some of the people he appeals to are racists and I will be telling a lot of people I know not to use the Drop Kick pub."

Comic who was banned by a council

In April 1996, Leeds City Council banned the comic from performing in any of the city's council-controlled venues following a walk-out at one of his shows by Councillor Alison Crowe the year before.

Mr Manning is not banned from performing in any of Bradford Council's venues, unlike the male stripping troupe the Chippendales, who were stopped from showing off their assets by councillors in 1997.

The issue has never arisen because Mr Manning has never been asked to perform at St George's Hall.

In August 1996, a major demonstration outside Kiss nightclub in Bradford succeeded in getting his performance cancelled.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.