Ricky's Radio Rumpus
On Wednesday 28th September 2005 we launched the 'Real Men Know All About It' campaign with a radio advertisement recorded and written by Ricky Gervais.
We have two versions of the Ricky Gervais radio ad that you can listen to:
The Prostate Cancer Charity's Chris Hiley appeared on the BBC to talk about the ad campaign on Wednesday 28th September; you can hear the interview here.
In addition to widespread newspaper coverage, the Guardian website picked up the story (registration required), as did The Sun Online, and the Royal College of Nursing gave the campaign their support.
However, the ad immediately caused controversy, when The Radio Advertising Clearance Centre took exception to the content. The coverage was intense.
The Controversy
BBC Online, The Guardian Online (registration required), The Daily Mail and many other media outlets reported on the censorship of the ad by The Radio Advertising Clearance Centre. Janet Street-Porter addressed the issue in this article from The Independent On Sunday (requires either registration or payment).
You can read our response in this press release, and Ricky's on this Q&A page at The Sun.
BBC Radio 4 covered the controversy extensively. First Ricky Gervais appeared on the PM programme to talk to Eddie Mair, then the panel of Any Questions addressed the issue, and finally the public had their say on Any Answers, which included a lengthy contribution from our Chief Executive, John Neate. You can hear all these items below:
Listen to Radio 5 Live - Broadcast October 1st. Our Chief Executive, John Neate, discusses the censorship of the ad. 5:40 mins. 1.6mb.
Listen to PM - Broadcast Friday September 30th. Eddie Mair talks to Ricky Gervais. 6 mins. 1.7mb
Listen to Any Questions - Broadcast Friday September 30th. Jonathan Dimbleby chairs a panel comprising Peter Hain, Secretary of State for Wales and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Theresa May, Shadow Secretary of State for Family and for Culture, Media and Sport; John Harris, Journalist and author, So Now Who Do We Vote For?; and Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Chief Foreign Affairs spokesman. 4:44 mins. 1.3mb.
Listen to Any Answers - Broadcast Saturday October 1st. Jonathan Dimbleby takes calls from the public. 10 mins. 2.8mb
The Climbdown
Eventually the RACC changed their advice regarding the broadcasting of the Ricky Gervais ad, BBC Online returned to the story, and Radio 4 revisited the issue on Monday's PM:
Listen to PM - Broadcast Monday October 3rd. Eddie Mair assesses listener reactions to the ban, and talks to Yvonne Kintoff of the RACC. 7 mins. 2.1mb
You can read the RACC statement, and our response, here. Ricky himself told us: "It's a good decision, and it's encouraging to know that within boundaries and with the listeners' best interests at heart, a body as powerful as this is still flexible and able to listen to public demand."
Q: How did Ricky Gervais get involved?
A: Ricky Gervais was teasing Jonathan Ross on his programme about the way that Jonathan pronounced the word prostate; he referred to it as the 'prostrate'. The Charity contacted Ricky to thank him for raising awareness of the prostate cancer on the show and asked him if he would support our awareness campaign by recording a radio advertisement on our behalf. He said “yes” and the ad was made. We cannot thank Ricky enough for putting his name to the prostate cancer cause. The support of one of the UK's greatest comedians is hugely appreciated.
Q: What do you think of his advertisement?
A: Ricky Gervais' advertisement is brilliant. It uses Ricky's distinct humour to bring people's attention to men's fear of prostate cancer and a common investigation often used to help diagnose it.
Q: How much did the advertisement cost?
A: To make the advert has cost the Charity absolutely nothing - thanks to the generosity of both Ricky Gervais and Publicis, one of the UK's leading advertising agencies.
RCN response to the launch of The Prostate Cancer Charity's "Real Men Know All About It" campaign with Ricky Gervais
"Pointing the finger at prostate cancer, Ricky Gervais' radio ad-campaign, is such a timely intervention", says David Evans, Sexual Health Course Manager, Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
"Prostate cancer is no laughing matter, especially when one considers the stark realities of one man dying from the condition in the UK every hour, and almost 32,000 being diagnosed each year. However, Gervais' use of humour helps raise awareness of the cancer and highlights the positive role of humour especially in managing embarrassing situations. Many men are initially reluctant to talk to healthcare professionals about personal or 'embarrassing' issues of health and are uncomfortable when intimate examinations have to be carried out.
"Nurses are well accustomed to dealing with 'sensitive' and embarrassing issues in people's lives, and welcome new opportunities to work with more men around the worries and fears they may have concerning their health."
Men's health put in danger by "disgraceful" censoring of Ricky Gervais ad, says The Prostate Cancer Charity
30 September 2005
The Prostate Cancer Charity has condemned a decision to restrict its men's health radio advert, made and written by Ricky Gervais, to be played after the watershed as a "disgrace".
The Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC) has insisted the advert's "squish" noise be removed and has recommended that the advert only go out after 9pm and before 6am.
The ad highlights the DRE (digital rectal examination) which is when a doctor inserts a finger inside a man's back passage to check the shape of the prostate gland for irregularities. Ricky Gervais chose to highlight this common medical investigation, because this is what many men fear most about discussing prostate problems with a doctor.
Despite the humour, the ad carries a serious message. Ricky Gervais hopes the ad will prompt all men, especially those over 50, to be aware of prostate cancer and its signs and symptoms to give them the greatest chance of beating the disease if they develop it.
The Prostate Cancer Charity Chief Executive, John Neate, said: "Whilst I accept the important role of the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC) in protecting broadcasting standards, I believe they have made a serious misjudgement in this case.
"We do not believe this advertisement is offensive, it does not contain offensive language and talks about a common, medical investigation. We INSIST it represents an important opportunity to bring prostate cancer further into the light. That the RACC wants to stand in the way of that is draconian, unnecessary and completely unacceptable.
"If men's health promotion is for night time only and not in front of the children, then we are putting it in the same league as adult entertainment and top shelf literature. This decision is a disgrace."
Multi-award winning writer and comedian, Ricky Gervais, said: "It's pathetic. One of the reasons that people die of cancer is that they don't get themselves checked. One of the reasons they don't get checked is embarrassment over the issue. The radio authority has actually enhanced this as a taboo and put the cause back."
Mr Neate added: "Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. 10,000 men a year die from it. Yet public misunderstanding of it is profound.
"The support of Ricky Gervais, one of the UK's leading comedians, in our campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer is extremely powerful. We know that the use of humour is very effective in getting men to talk about topics they find threatening or unpalatable.
"The RACC's decision to prohibit the airing of this advertisement before 21:00 hrs will deny many thousands of men and their families the opportunity to learn more about prostate cancer - with grave consequences for men's health.
"It is time to wake up to the seriousness of this issue, to be mature in discussing what for many is a taboo subject and to begin to do for men what has been so successfully achieved for women in relation to breast cancer."
Peter Baker, Director of the Men's Health Forum, said: "This preposterous decision by the radio authority perfectly demonstrates the obstacles we are up against in trying to get men to take their health more seriously. How can we expect to raise men's awareness of prostate cancer if the subject is treated in this narrow minded way by the broadcasting authorities?"
Radio Advertising Clearance Centre: Statement
3rd October 2005
The RACC did not ban the Prostate Cancer Charity’s men’s health information message. Neither did the RACC ban Ricky Gervais’ humorous portrayal of a digital rectal examination between a doctor and his embarrassed patient.
Instead, the RACC asked for the one-second sound effect of a “squish” to be removed and replaced with “stunned silence” which we believe can work just as well, without detracting from the message or the scenario. We felt that some listeners may regard the sound effect, in this particular context, as a scatological joke which might cause them offence.
We have to take difficult decisions in matters of taste and offence in radio advertisements every day, and we feel that our decision is a reasonable one under the BCAP Radio Advertising Standards Code.
The RACC is not an inflexible body and regularly reviews its advisory scheduling notes to stations. Given public comment, we have now reviewed our scheduling advice to place the message after 9pm only, and have decided to leave the precise scheduling to the individual stations who, we understand, are airing the message for free.
Yvonne Kintoff
Manager, RACC
The Prostate Cancer Charity Responds
The Prostate Cancer Charity welcomes Radio Advertising Clearance Centre’s (RACC) decision to reconsider its ban on prime time broadcast of the Ricky Gervais prostate cancer awareness ad –although the “squish” remains squashed!
John Neate, Chief Executive said:
"The RACC’s restrictions on the airing of the Ricky Gervais advertisement about prostate cancer have created a public outcry. Whilst The Prostate Cancer Charity is disappointed that the RACC has not relented on its decision regarding the removal of the sound effect in the advert, it welcomes its review of scheduling advice.
In light of public comments, the RACC has now decided to leave the precise scheduling to the individual radio stations who are airing the advertisement, free of charge, effectively removing the 9pm to 6am restrictions.
Although concerned at the RACC’s initial decision, the Charity is grateful that it has responded so rapidly to public disappointment."