Tuesday 4 September 2007

Bob Monkhouse, prostate cancer advert



This advert is part of a campaign for the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation, “Give a few Bob” (www.giveafewbob.org). It shows comedian Bob Monkhouse, back from the dead talking about the disease that killed him. In technical terms, this is a very clever advert. It has been created by blending archive footage of Monkhouse with shots of a body double in a graveyard. In the comedian’s typical one-liner style, a script spoken by a sound-alike claims, “What killed me kills one man per hour in Britain. That’s even more than my wife’s cooking.” It ends with Bob saying, "Let's face it, as a comedian, I died many deaths. Prostate cancer, I don't recommend." I think this is a really effective advert in driving home the reality of prostate cancer. Here, we are presented with a well-loved comedian, and the humour in the advert reflects his very British humour. When I first saw this advert, I had to look twice.

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