On Friday, 3rd November, Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK will commemorate a remarkable decade of combating cancer with a star-studded evening of exceptional television. Broadcasting live from The Francis Crick Institute, a renowned centre for groundbreaking cancer research, the most prominent names in British comedy and entertainment will unite to present viewers with a lively night of television.
Starting from 7pm, hosts Davina McCall, Adam Hills, Joe Lycett, and Munya Chawawa will initiate the event with SU2C: The Takeover. This 90-minute live show will be brimming with uproarious comedy talent and well-known personalities, including Rita Ora, Oti Mabuse, Cush Jumbo, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Charlotte Ritchie, and many others. They will all stand united to celebrate the astounding strides and advancements in cancer research that have been made possible by the funds raised through Stand Up To Cancer in the past ten years.
Following this, Channel 4 will air a brand-new Celebrity Gogglebox and the nerve-wracking, star-studded conclusion of Don’t Look Down, where Paddy McGuinness leads a team of celebrities in an attempt to perform a world-first relay highwire walk over the London Stadium, the site of the 2012 Olympics.
The evening will culminate in The SU2C Comedy Roast, a delightful extravaganza hosted by Rhod Gilbert, featuring an array of comedic talent, including Jordan Gray, Ellie Taylor, Danny Beard, Tom Stade, Davina McCall, Joe Lycett, and Nish Kumar. Comics Sara Barron, Thanyia Moore, Bobby Mair, Harriet Kemsley, Fatiha El-Ghorri, and Larry Dean will also participate in a ‘roast roulette’. The show will bring together a range of brilliant personalities and beloved stars, all willingly subjecting themselves to affectionate roasting in support of Stand Up To Cancer.
This extraordinary evening will culminate in Sean Lock: Lockipedia – a tribute to the sorely missed comedic brilliance of one of Channel 4’s most well-known comedians.
Channel 4’s live SU2C night will include Audio Description commentary alongside the main broadcast and will be simultaneously aired on 4Seven with British Sign Language interpretation.
Stand Up To Cancer was commissioned for Channel 4 by the Head of Live Events, Tom Beck, in collaboration with the Head of Entertainment, Phil Harris, and commissioning executive Antonia Howard-Taylor. SU2C: The Takeover and The SU2C Comedy Roast are produced by Monkey, a part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group. Executive Producers for Monkey are Andy Charles Smith and Suzi Aplin. Channel 4’s live SU2C night will feature Audio Description commentary on the main broadcast and will be shown simultaneously on 4Seven with British Sign Language interpretation.
In the days leading up to the live show, Channel 4 will air special programs, including the candid and unflinching documentary, “Rhod Gilbert: A Pain In The Neck”.
Rhod Gilbert: A Pain In The Neck
Over a decade, comedian Rhod Gilbert has raised nearly £2 million for cancer care. While on a fundraising expedition to support Velindre Cancer Hospital in Cardiff, he experienced worrisome symptoms and would later receive a diagnosis of head and neck cancer.
Airing in the run-up to Stand Up To Cancer this documentary is told largely through Rhod’s own personal video diaries. With his typical unflinching and mordant humour, this sensitive and thoughtful documentary will show one of the UK’s best-loved comedians sharing his personal experience of living with cancer and receiving treatment at the very hospital he supported for over a decade.
Celebrity Gogglebox
Britain’s best-loved personalities will offer commentary on the most talked-about television of the week. The line-up of famous faces will be revealed soon.
Don’t Look Down
In the grand finale of Don’t Look Down, Paddy McGuiness leads his team of celebrities as they attempt a world-first highwire walk over the London Stadium, home of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Will they be able to shake off their nerves, or will it go to the wire? One thing’s for sure, they’ll have to remember one key piece of advice: Don’t Look Down!
Over the past four episodes Paddy, Beverley Callard, Anton Ferdinand, Kimberly Wyatt, Chris Hughes, David Ginola, Charley Boorman, GK Barry, Fats Timbo and Victoria Pendleton have all faced their fears during rigorous training high in the Austrian Alps. Put through their paces by the world’s foremost authorities in highwire walking, these famous faces were thrown into the deep end in a string of physically and mentally demanding challenges. Has the training paid off? Will the team come together in this dazzling tribute to those we have loved and lost to cancer?
The Money
Over the past decade Stand Up To Cancer has raised over £93 million for lifesaving cancer research. We want to smash that target to turn even more trials into treatments. In the past decade, the money raised has gone toward funding 64 clinical trials and research projects involving more than 13,000 cancer patients and has led to breakthroughs in treatment. From trials into kinder testing for breast cancer to a new treatment for advanced bile duct cancer now available on the NHS, cash raised by Stand Up To Cancer is literally saving lives.
One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. Stand Up To Cancer is helping us all fight back. To donate whatever you can call 0300 123 4444 or text £40 £30 £20 or £10 text FORTY, THIRTY, TWENTY or TEN to 70404. For more information and to donate online visit Channel4.com/SU2C
