- Email: [email protected]
Toilet humour
Cancer and Society
Comedy Toilet humour
www.thelancet.com/oncology Vol 14 February 2013
bowels and toilet habits and prevents screening or discussion of symptoms with doctors. The 13th annual Stand Up For Bowel Cancer was headlined by Sarah Millican, winner of the Best Newcomer award at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since then, her career has skyrocketed, and Millican has become familiar to UK audiences through her television and radio appearances. She used self-deprecating jokes to cloak razor-sharp commentaries on class, gender, and society, but also drew in the audience with a combination of warm stories about family and unexpectedly filthy jokes about her cat. There were also strong showings from other performers. Josh Howie, a London-based stand-up, used the birth of his son to deliver deadpan satire. “Does anyone here have carpet moths?”, he asked. “Then you know it’s just like having cancer.” Paul Thorne performed a musical number about the phone-hacking scandal that was equally cutting and side-splitting. Quincy, a former DJ, held forth on life in east London, while JoJo Smith was darkly hilarious. Throughout the night the audience was held in thrall by northern lad Mickey Hutton—the event’s compère for the fourth year. The laughter was needed. Everyone that I spoke to had been touched by cancer in some way, and had come out that night to connect with others and support the charity that had supported them and their loved ones. The intimate setting of the Leicester Square Theatre contributed to the mood of closeness. This was a community coming together to look a fearsome disease in the eye. In addition to Stand Up For Bowel Cancer, Beating Bowel Cancer runs a December fundraising campaign
called Decembeard, which, as the name implies, does for beards what Movember did for upper lip hair. Many stubbly chins were in evidence, including Flannagan’s, who was hoping to raise £1000 from his whiskers. “It’s not the easiest thing to do actually, but that’s what it’s all about—doing something to raise money, to remember bowels and bowel cancer. It’s our thing and we’re going to make it big.” He suggested that women could support the campaign by drawing, knitting, or baking beards for the charity, although Smith had other ideas. “I’d stop waxing my tuff for it!”, she pronounced, before pointing out sadly that few people would notice. When many worthy causes fight for the same small pot of funds, competition will inevitably be fierce. Unmet public health need is rarely perfectly addressed by well organised fundraising campaigns, and most people only have so much attention to devote to health awareness. Sadly, acai berries and detox diets often get more attention than do messages to visit your doctor if you pass bloody stools. To see a charity successfully engage with the public over an important but neglected issue and raise vital finds for important patient services, is encouraging.
For more on the charity Beating Bowel Cancer see http://www. beatingbowelcancer.org
Hannah Cagney
Beating Bowel Cancer
On a chilly night in London’s Leicester Square last December, hundreds were gathered to attend the world premiere of Les Misérables. But just around the corner from the glitz of celebrities and the red carpet was something a bit different. Stand Up For Bowel Cancer, an annual night of comedy to raise funds for the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, was taking place at the Leicester Square Theatre. Mark Flannagan, Beating Bowel Cancer’s Chief Executive explained the rationale behind the event: “As a very small charity dealing with a huge issue, we need a lot more money. We aren’t as big as some charities— we want to be as big as the breast cancer charities, the heart charities. So in order to tackle the problem we need money...We need to reach more people in need to help them and we need fundraisers like this.” “Beating Bowel Cancer provides support to patients living with bowel cancer—beating bowel cancer, we hope…but in some cases dying of bowel cancer”, continued Flannagan. Other core services provided by the charity include a dedicated nurse helpline and free informational material for patients in hospital at different stages of their diagnosis and disease. “We also raise awareness of bowel cancer and challenge the taboo in society of bowels and bottoms, because only by doing that can we get more people to get diagnosed earlier by going to their doctor and going for screening. We’re there for everybody affected by bowel cancer.” Such efforts are needed. Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK and one of the biggest killers. Mammograms and prostate screenings are accepted as part of everyday life, but the stigma remains in relation to discussion of
113
Comedy Toilet humour
www.thelancet.com/oncology Vol 14 February 2013
bowels and toilet habits and prevents screening or discussion of symptoms with doctors. The 13th annual Stand Up For Bowel Cancer was headlined by Sarah Millican, winner of the Best Newcomer award at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since then, her career has skyrocketed, and Millican has become familiar to UK audiences through her television and radio appearances. She used self-deprecating jokes to cloak razor-sharp commentaries on class, gender, and society, but also drew in the audience with a combination of warm stories about family and unexpectedly filthy jokes about her cat. There were also strong showings from other performers. Josh Howie, a London-based stand-up, used the birth of his son to deliver deadpan satire. “Does anyone here have carpet moths?”, he asked. “Then you know it’s just like having cancer.” Paul Thorne performed a musical number about the phone-hacking scandal that was equally cutting and side-splitting. Quincy, a former DJ, held forth on life in east London, while JoJo Smith was darkly hilarious. Throughout the night the audience was held in thrall by northern lad Mickey Hutton—the event’s compère for the fourth year. The laughter was needed. Everyone that I spoke to had been touched by cancer in some way, and had come out that night to connect with others and support the charity that had supported them and their loved ones. The intimate setting of the Leicester Square Theatre contributed to the mood of closeness. This was a community coming together to look a fearsome disease in the eye. In addition to Stand Up For Bowel Cancer, Beating Bowel Cancer runs a December fundraising campaign
called Decembeard, which, as the name implies, does for beards what Movember did for upper lip hair. Many stubbly chins were in evidence, including Flannagan’s, who was hoping to raise £1000 from his whiskers. “It’s not the easiest thing to do actually, but that’s what it’s all about—doing something to raise money, to remember bowels and bowel cancer. It’s our thing and we’re going to make it big.” He suggested that women could support the campaign by drawing, knitting, or baking beards for the charity, although Smith had other ideas. “I’d stop waxing my tuff for it!”, she pronounced, before pointing out sadly that few people would notice. When many worthy causes fight for the same small pot of funds, competition will inevitably be fierce. Unmet public health need is rarely perfectly addressed by well organised fundraising campaigns, and most people only have so much attention to devote to health awareness. Sadly, acai berries and detox diets often get more attention than do messages to visit your doctor if you pass bloody stools. To see a charity successfully engage with the public over an important but neglected issue and raise vital finds for important patient services, is encouraging.
For more on the charity Beating Bowel Cancer see http://www. beatingbowelcancer.org
Hannah Cagney
Beating Bowel Cancer
On a chilly night in London’s Leicester Square last December, hundreds were gathered to attend the world premiere of Les Misérables. But just around the corner from the glitz of celebrities and the red carpet was something a bit different. Stand Up For Bowel Cancer, an annual night of comedy to raise funds for the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, was taking place at the Leicester Square Theatre. Mark Flannagan, Beating Bowel Cancer’s Chief Executive explained the rationale behind the event: “As a very small charity dealing with a huge issue, we need a lot more money. We aren’t as big as some charities— we want to be as big as the breast cancer charities, the heart charities. So in order to tackle the problem we need money...We need to reach more people in need to help them and we need fundraisers like this.” “Beating Bowel Cancer provides support to patients living with bowel cancer—beating bowel cancer, we hope…but in some cases dying of bowel cancer”, continued Flannagan. Other core services provided by the charity include a dedicated nurse helpline and free informational material for patients in hospital at different stages of their diagnosis and disease. “We also raise awareness of bowel cancer and challenge the taboo in society of bowels and bottoms, because only by doing that can we get more people to get diagnosed earlier by going to their doctor and going for screening. We’re there for everybody affected by bowel cancer.” Such efforts are needed. Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK and one of the biggest killers. Mammograms and prostate screenings are accepted as part of everyday life, but the stigma remains in relation to discussion of
113