Comedian and broadcaster Jon Holmes has opened up about his recent prostate cancer diagnosis which came as a surprise after he admitted he was “too busy” to get checked – attributing his diagnosis to Stephen Fry who encouraged him to get checked.
After an intense and unexpected year, Holmes realised that men don’t tend to talk openly about the preposterous indignity of dealing with cancer and decided he would start a podcast, with other men who have been through it, to help the battle the stigma.
In a new eight-part series for BBC Radio 4, his new podcast- Jon Holmes Says The C-Word – will see the comedian be joined by fellow entertainment colleagues such as Stephen Fry, Mark Steel, Richard Herring, Matt Forde, and Eric Idle share their own personal experiences of undergoing cancer treatment.
Holmes recently discussed the reason as to why he ended up going to the doctors and talked through the “undignified” process of checking to see whether he had prostate cancer.
“The algorithms on social media started dropping UK/NHS branded adverts with various representations of men who’d had cancer on my timeline – probably because I’m over 50.
“But when Stephen Fry cropped up discussing his prostate cancer, I was like ‘Oh…’ I kept seeing it until I finally thought, ‘Maybe I should go for a test’.
Jon Holmes opens up on his cancer diagnosis
BBC
“The test came back and the GP said ‘Hmm, elevated PSA, we’ll send you for an MRI just to be on the safe side’. I wasn’t too bothered, I just thought ‘Well, that’ll be nothing’ right up until the point where they actually sat me down and said ‘I’m afraid it is cancer’.”
He added to Radio Times: “I had questions every step of the way ‘Will it hurt? How big is the needle? What does this mean?’ And there was nowhere to go to find out. Men don’t talk.
“If there had been a podcast full of other people’s cancer stories, advice and light moments to illuminate the darkness when I was diagnosed, I’d have lapped it up, but there wasn’t one.”
Throughout the duration of the podcast episodes, Holmes and his guests will demystify all things cancer in raw, honest, difficult, and funny detail, from biopsies, surgery, catheters, stomas, feeding tubes, and incontinence.
Jon was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year
BBC
“Stephen Fry is in there because he effectively saved my life.”
Holmes is also keen on encouraging listeners to get involved and share their own experiences, whether it’s something they have been through themselves or if they are supporting someone with cancer.
Commissioning editor Rhian Roberts says: “Jon has been so generous in both sharing his own cancer story and also creating a new place for more men to open up and tell theirs.
“It’s down to earth, full of facts and with as much fun as Jon can muster, and that’s quite a lot. We hope it becomes a space where listeners know they’re in good company, no matter how difficult the subject can be.”
Holmes’ inspiration for getting himself checked came after Stephen Fry revealed he had been through prostate cancer surgery in 2018, noting that it was “thankfully caught in the nick of time”.
Eric Idle is also set to join the podcast to discuss his experience with cancer
GETTY
Surgeons removed 11 lymph nodes after his aggressiveness was given a nine out of 10, leaving the Blackadder star to add: “You can never predict how you feel. I think I said something like, ‘gosh’. What do you say? There’s no word that covers it.”
The broadcaster said he feared cancer would rob him of his “zest for life” and noted: “The last thing I’d want to do would be to start wearing elasticated trousers and watching Countdown every afternoon. Although I do really like Countdown.”
