Stand Up to Cancer UK

Genre	Charity telethon
Presented by	Davina McCall Alan Carr Christian Jessen With: Adam Hills (2014)
Narrated by	Chris Ellis
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	2
Production
Location(s)	Channel 4 Headquarters
Camera setup	3SIXTYMEDIA
Production company(s)	ITV Studios
Distributor	Channel 4 Sales UK Charity Sales Ltd.
Broadcast
Original channel	Channel 4
Original run	19 October 2012 (2012-10-19) – present

Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) is the UK version of Stand Up to Cancer a US charitable television telethon, broadcast in 2012 and 2014 on the Channel 4 network in the United Kingdom, hosted by Davina McCall and Alan Carr along with Dr. Christian Jessen. By February 2015 the 2014 broadcast had raised £15,585,444 in pledges, in aid of cancer research.^[1]

History

SU2C was formally launched on May 27, 2008 in the US by Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), and aims to raise significant funds for cancer research through online and televised efforts. The US programme is a telethon, where three of the major broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) broadcast to over 170 countries on September 5, 2008, raising over $100 million after that evening's broadcast.^[2]

Three further telethons have been broadcast in USA on 10 September 2010, 7 September 2012 and 5 September 2014,^[3] and were made available to more than 190 countries. To date, more than $261 million has been pledged to support SU2C’s innovative cancer research programs.^[4] and 2014.^[3] Current members of the SU2C Council of Founders and Advisors (CFA) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Kathleen Lobb, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, and Ellen Ziffren.^[5] All current members of the CFA were co-producers of the 2012 televised special. The late co-founder Laura Ziskin executive produced both the September 5, 2008 and September 10, 2010 broadcasts.

UK launch

In August 2012, Channel 4 and the UK cancer charity Cancer Research UK joined forces to launch a British version of ‘Stand Up To Cancer'.^[4] This consisted of a season of factual, entertainment and health programming building up to a live telethon event on Friday 19 October 2012.

Jay Hunt, Chief Creative Officer of Channel 4, says: "Sadly most of us - more than 1 in 3 - will be touched by cancer at some point in our lives. Stand Up To Cancer is about doing what Channel 4 does best - focusing attention on an important issue using entertainment and comedy. We hope to raise vital funds for trials that could save lives." Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, says: "We want everyone in the UK to unite and stand up to this devastating disease. We've made incredible progress in the last 40 years but there's so much more to do. It's not just technology or knowledge that we need to win our fight to beat cancer - it's funding - and every pound we raise is a step closer to achieving our goal to beat this disease. We are entering the ‘golden age' of cancer research - but each and every one of us can stand up and make a difference right now to come together to raise vital funds for clinical research, accelerate progress and ultimately save more lives."^[4]

Telethons

2012 telethon

The 2012 telethon aired live on Channel 4 on 19 October 2012 presented by Davina McCall, Alan Carr and Christian Jessen, and was broadcast live from 19.30 until 00.00.^[8]

The evening included, a special 8 out of 10 Cats episode, a live edition of Million pound drop and saw the cast of Made in Chelsea working in a branch of Tesco.^[10]

Following its success, in 2013 Channel 4 announced that a second Stand Up to Cancer telethon would take place in 2014.^[7]

2014 telethon

The 2014 telethon aired live on Channel 4 on 17 October 2014, hosted by Davina McCall, Alan Carr and Christian Jessen, sponsored by AXA, BT and Scottish Power. The show was extended to start at 19.00 and continues until 02.00.

Clair Rowney, director of Stand Up To Cancer, said: “The Stand Up To Cancer animation truly captures the energy of this year’s campaign and shows how our fight against cancer is at a turning point. Stand Up To Cancer is an opportunity for the entire UK to come together to accelerate new cancer treatments to UK patients and save lives.^[11]

Features

• Celebrity edition of Gogglebox starring Kathy Burke, Noel Gallagher, Naomi Campbell, Miranda Hart, Paul O'Grady and Kate Moss as well as the regular cast
• Taylor Swift and Jamie Oliver's cookery sketch. Filming in ITV's This Morning studios, the feature saw Oliver singing "Bake It Off", a parody of Swift's song "Shake It Off"
• Derren Brown feature with Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington
• Casting feature for Andy Murray: The Movie with judges Richard Ayoade and Andy Murray
• Special edition of Alan Carr: Chatty Man with Laura Whitmore, Keith Lemon, Melanie Brown, Jonathan Ross, Ollie Locke and Joey Essex
• Special edition of The Last Leg starring Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker and various celebrity guests

Stars at Your Service

Stars at Your Service is a 2014 spin-off from the main Channel 4 telethon airing in four parts, presented by Alan Carr and Davina McCall with Paddy McGuinness providing the narration. The public could request celebrities via the programme's official website.^[12]

Feeling Nuts Comedy Night

The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night was part of Stand up to Cancer's 2014 season and The Feeling Nuts Movement which raises awareness of testicular cancer. The show was hosted by Jack Whitehall and featured comedy sketches from One Direction, James Corden, Jimmy Carr, Cara Delevigne, and Men Behaving Badly.^[17]

References

External links

• Stand Up To Cancer UK website
• Channel 4 information about Stand Up To Cancer website
• Cancer Research UK