Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) is the UK version of Stand Up to Cancer, a US charitable television telethon, broadcast between 2012 and 2018 on the Channel 4 network in the United Kingdom, and again from 2020. The most recent edition of the telethon was on 15 October 2021,[1] a programme which was hosted by Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Maya Jama and Adam Hills. By February 2015, the 2014 broadcast had raised £15,585,444 in pledges, in aid of cancer research.[2]
History
SU2C was formally launched on 27 May 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 5 September 2008, raising over $100 million after that evening's broadcast.[3]
Three further telethons have been broadcast in USA on 10 September 2010, 7 September 2012 and 5 September 2014,[4] 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.[5] and 2014.[4] 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.[6] All current members of the CFA were co-producers of the 2012 televised special. The late co-founder Laura Ziskin executive produced both the 5 September 2008 and 10 September 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'.[5] 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."[5]
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.[12]
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.[13]
SU2C returned on Friday 9 October 2015, but a telethon wasn't aired, just with a night of SU2C special editions of Channel 4's popular shows. The schedule, which ran from 20.00 to 23.25, is as follows.
In April 2016, as part of Stand Up to Cancer UK, a celebrity edition of The Island would be made to raise money in air of Cancer Research UK. The series will see 10 celebrities live on the island for two weeks with the show airing for 60-minute episodes over the same week as the telethon night. Celebrities taking part were Aston Merrygold, Dawn Harper, Dom Joly, Josie Long, Karen Danczuk, Lydia Bright, Mark Jenkins, Ollie Locke, Thom Evans and Zöe Salmon
The Crystal Maze
A one-off special edition of The Crystal Maze was filmed for the SU2C 2016 at The Crystal Maze Live Experience in London, presented by Stephen Merchant, accompanied by a team of five celebrities – Sara Cox, Michelle Keegan, Rio Ferdinand, Josh Widdicombe and Jonnie Peacock – and aired on 16 October. They won a total of £25,000 for Cancer Research UK in the Crystal Dome. The success of the special subsequently led to the series being revived.
2017
SU2C returned on 3 November 2017 with celebrity specials of Channel 4 programmes.
Celebrity Hunted
It was confirmed in October 2017 that a celebrity edition of the Channel 4 series CelebrityHunted would be made for Stand Up To Cancer. The series began airing on 10 October 2017 over 4 episodes.
It was confirmed in October 2017, that Gogglebox: Celebrity Special would broadcast on 3 November 2017. The one episode celebrity special editions for SU2C has continued since 2017 to present.
Channel 4 also scheduled a number of additional programmes in the run-up to the telethon, including a documentary about boyband singer Tom Parker as he tries to organise a special charity concert at The Royal Albert Hall, in aid of Stand Up to Cancer, called Inside My Head. The documentary was supposed to be followed by the full concert on 4Music but, due to the ongoing problems at the channel caused by the Red Bee Media broadcast centre incident on 25 September 2021, this live show has not yet been broadcast.[24]
National Comedy Awards
The National Comedy Awards is a new annual awards ceremony event, replacing the former The British Comedy Awards. It will have multiple categories all decided by a public vote. The first ceremony will be held on 15 December 2021 from London Roundhouse.[25]
Channel 4 is linking the awards to its Stand Up To Cancer charity drive, with comedy fans encouraged to donate to help accelerate life-saving research. Aiming to celebrate "the UK's most brilliant comedy content and creators", the new awards are being seen by some as a replacement for The British Comedy Awards, which ran from 1990 to 2014, with Channel 4 broadcasting the show from 2011 until its demise.
