Jason Manford has recalled the heart-stopping moment he was stopped at customs for carrying a bag of collagen through customs in Bilbao, Spain on Tuesday.
The comedian, 44, joked he was ‘nearly chucked in jail’ when the bag of white powder raised concern to custom officers.
Jason left fans in stitches as he explained the petrifying ordeal in a video on X once he passed through customs.
He said: ‘I’ve just come off the ferry in Bilbao and we got pulled into the side, the van searched and what not.
‘The most worrying bit was when he [customs officer] went “What’s in there?” [pointing to the collegen] which is like a box of stuff from Will Powders.
‘And then opened this bag of collagen peptides which let me show you… My heart was in my mouth, it’s literally a massive bag of white power.’
Jason Manford, 44, has recalled the heart-stopping moment he was stopped at customs for carrying a bag of collagen through customs in Bilbao, Spain on Tuesday
The comedian joked he was ‘nearly chucked in jail’ when the bag of white powder raised concern to custom officers
‘Phew! Got away with it though’, he quipped.
Jason captioned his post: ‘Heart-stopping moment at customs in Bilbao! Nearly chucked in jail over some @willpowders collagen! phew!’
Fans wrote in the comments: ‘You lead an exciting life [laughing face emojis]’,
‘More material to bank for the next tour’, ‘You could write your whole next tour just off this week xx’,
‘I travel with my willpowders collagen too. To make it worse, I have the big measuring spoon in the bag too. I always hold my breath in security expecting to be pulled to one side’.
Jason gave a health update alongside a defiant message after undergoing surgery and cancelling four shows on Monday.
He was due to take to stage for his A Manford All Seasons tour in Hertfordshire on Thursday before it was announced he was ‘too unwell’, with the star going on to cancel a further three shows.
He later revealed he had developed appendicitis – which is when the organ swells, causing severe pain and in most cases, surgeons remove the appendix.
![He said: 'I've just come off the ferry in Bilbao and we got pulled into the side, the van searched and what not. The most worrying bit was when he [customs officer] went "What's in there?" [pointing to the collegen] which is like a box of stuff from Will Powders'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/08/05/11/100933057-14971785-image-a-43_1754389799036.jpg "Jason Manford's Near-Jail Experience with Collagen at Bilbao Customs 3")
He said: ‘I’ve just come off the ferry in Bilbao and we got pulled into the side, the van searched and what not. The most worrying bit was when he [customs officer] went “What’s in there?” [pointing to the collegen] which is like a box of stuff from Will Powders’
‘And then opened this bag of collagen peptides which let me show you… My heart was in my mouth, it’s literally a massive bag of white power. Phew! Got away with it though’
Jason left fans in stitches as he explained the petrifying ordeal in a video on X once he passed through customs
And taking to his Instagram on Sunday, Jason had seemingly recovered well as he revealed he was out of hospital and heading on holiday.
The TV personality also defiantly declared that he’ll ‘not be defeated’ while informing fans of the major travel alterations he’s had to make amid his illness.
Sharing a snap of himself reclining on a bed in a ferry cabin, Jason penned: ‘I will not be defeated! I’m going on holiday! Might not be able to fly to Portugal but what about this ferry! On it. ⛴️ it’s only 33 hours.’
His post was met with plenty of messages from fans expressing their joy that he was on the mend.
Meanwhile, last week Jason was sweetly supported by his parents as they sat by his bedside after he underwent appendix surgery.
He gave fans an update as he took to Instagram to share a sweet photograph of his parents Sharon and Ian paying him a visit in hospital.
‘Mum & dad come to look after me for the night! Rest of the family away and they didn’t want by myself,’ he wrote in a caption. Always their baby no matter how old ya get!’
John Bishop stepped in to replace Jason at the Kendal Calling festival on Sunday, with the Liverpudlian comedian, 58, uploading a humorous announcement video that was shared to Jason’s page.
Jason gave a health update alongside a defiant message after undergoing surgery and cancelling four shows on Monday
He was due to take to stage for his A Manford All Seasons tour in Hertfordshire on Thursday before it was announced he was ‘too unwell’, with it later being revealed he had appendicitis
Taking to his Instagram on Sunday, Jason had seemingly recovered well as he revealed he was out of hospital and heading on holiday
The TV personality also defiantly declared that he’ll ‘not be defeated’ while informing fans of the major travel alterations he’s had to make amid his illness
Speaking to the camera, John said: ‘The one that can’t be cancelled is Kendal Calling on Sunday afternoon. So he’s asked me if I’m free and I am, so I’m going to step up and fill Jason’s boots.’
Jason underwent surgery following a ‘scary’ 24 hours, revealing he first came down with symptoms while driving at 70mph down the motorway.
He shared on Instagram: ‘Appendix surgery all went well, now in recovery with my Vimto, they serve it in all Manchester hospitals.
‘Bit of a scary & extremely painful 24 hours but thankful to our NHS & my incredible nurse mum who’s a godsend in a health crisis!
‘My advice would be to not get Appendicitis whilst driving at 70mph on the motorway!’
Jason shared his disappointment about not being able to make his upcoming shows and thanked fans for their support.
‘Seriously though, I’m gutted that I’ve had to move the dates this weekend, and I’m sorry for the late notice to so many people in St Albans, Oxford, Lincoln, Skegness & at Kendall Calling,’ he added.
‘I thought I could get by on antibiotics and surgery at a later date so I could still do the shows, but was advised not to.
Jason was sweetly supported by his parents as they sat by his bedside after he underwent appendix surgery
Following his surgery, Jason took to Instagram in the early hours of Saturday to share a smiley snap of himself as enjoyed a ‘cheeky midnight snack’ of pepperoni and pineapple pizza
John Bishop stepped in to replace Jason at the Kendal Calling festival on Sunday, with the Liverpudlian comedian, 58, uploading a humorous announcement video that was shared to Jason’s page
Sharing a health update on Instagram on Friday, Jason penned: ‘Appendix surgery all went well, now in recovery with my Vimto, they serve it in all Manchester hospitals’
‘Also means I can’t fly out to Portugal on Monday to join my family on holiday! Ah well, such is life. Thanks for all the ”Get Well Soon” messages.’
Earlier on Thursday, it was confirmed that Jason would not be performing in Hertfordshire due to ill health.
An initial post read: ‘We regret to inform you that tonight’s performance of A Manford All Seasons @albanarena has been unexpectedly cancelled due to Jason Manford being unwell and will now be rescheduled to Mon 20th Oct 2025.
‘Thank you for understanding, we apologise for any inconvenience caused.’
In another statement shared to X, a further three shows in Oxford, Lincoln and Skegness were also scrapped and rescheduled for later this year and early 2026.
‘We regret to inform you that the following performances of A Manford All Seasons have been unexpectedly cancelled due to Jason Manford being unwell,’ it added.
‘Oxford, New Theatre. Lincoln, The Engine Shed. Skegness, Embassy Hall. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.’
