Tuesday 25 May 2004
A number of high profile celebrities have climbed into a giant pair of custom made underpants for a new advert to launch the seventh Everyman Male Cancer Awareness Month, helping to raise awareness of testicular and prostate cancer.
Celebrities appearing in the advert include Chat Show host Graham Norton, TV presenter Dermot O’Leary, Channel 4 News Reader Jon Snow, acclaimed British actor Simon Callow, comedian Dave Gorman, and Olympic medal winner Iwan Thomas. The tongue in cheek ad was devised by new creative agency Me We and shot by top photographer Tim O’Sullivan, both of whom donated their time for free.
Explaining why he got involved, Everyman Patron Dermot O’Leary said:
“ I am fully supportive of the great work the Everyman Campaign does – both in carrying out research into male cancers and raising awareness of these diseases. When dealing with these topics it’s also important to be a little bit different and I think this ad is a fantastic way to make men sit up and pay attention. Where else would you see Graham Norton and Jon Snow in the same pair of pants!”
Prostate cancer kills one man every hour in the UK and testicular cancer has risen by 70% in the last twenty years so the Everyman Campaign is calling on all men to be aware of these cancers and not die of ignorance. Testicular cancer is 96% curable if caught early, which is why awareness campaigns like Everyman are so important.
The celebrities are shown in the pants which are emblazoned with the line –
‘ whatever men get in their pants make sure it’s not cancer’. The strap line for the advert focuses on the indiscriminate nature of cancer – every man needs your support.
The Institute of Cancer Research set up the Everyman Campaign in 1997 to raise awareness and vital research funds for male cancers. Since then it has gone from strength to strength and achieved its aim of opening Europe’s only dedicated male cancer research centre, at its site in Sutton. The centre needs £2 million every year to run and money raised by the campaign goes directly towards supporting this vital research.
Professor Colin Cooper who heads up the Everyman Male Cancer Research Centre said: “It is fantastic to see so many high profile men coming out in support of the Everyman Campaign. It is so important that men are aware of the signs and symptoms of testicular and prostate cancer. We also need to raise the funds we desperately need if we are to carry out the necessary research into these diseases. Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in men in the UK yet we still know so little about it. It is essential that we continue our research if we are to save men’s lives.”
Everyman Male Cancer Awareness Month runs throughout June. To support the work of the Everyman Campaign or to find out more about testicular and prostate cancer please call freephone on 0800 731 9468 or visit the Everyman website
For a copy of the advert, further information about the Everyman campaign or to set up an interview, please call
The Institute of Cancer Research press office on 020 7153 5435/5312
or out of hours on 0778 842 7856
Notes to the editor:
- Me We is a new creative agency specialising in strong creative visuals. For further information contact [email protected] or phone 0207 613 4488
- The Institute of Cancer Research is a centre of excellence with some of the world’s leading scientists working on cutting edge research.
- The Institute works in a unique partnership with The Royal Marsden Hospital, which enables scientific discoveries to be translated quickly into patient care.
- The Institute was made a centre of excellence for prostate cancer research by the National Cancer Research Institute.
- The Institute is a charity that relies on voluntary income.