Channel 4 broadcast live colonoscopy as part of bowel cancer campaign

'By allowing my colonoscopy to be shown live, I hope to show that it’s a simple procedure'

Wednesday afternoon, Channel 4 broke new ground, airing the world’s first live TV advert from inside a human body.

The advert, for Cancer Research UK, saw Doctor Sunil Dolwani perform a colonoscopy – the removal of bowel polyps – on 60-year-old Philip McScarron at Cardiff and Vale University hospital.

Dolwani talked viewers through exactly what was going on, explaining how removing the polyps can prevent them becoming cancerous.

Before the procedure took place, McScarron said: “By allowing my colonoscopy to be shown live, I hope to show that it’s a simple procedure, not something to be frightened of.

“Hopefully people will be interested in seeing the live footage and it will encourage them to be more willing to talk about cancer and think about taking up regular screening when offered.”

A 60-second version of the advert will be shown again at around 9.30pm, when audience numbers are greater.

“We want viewers to join us to experience the unique insight of seeing live inside the human body, and witness a procedure that can actually prevent cancer from developing,” said Ed Aspel, Cancer Research UK’s director of fundraising and marketing.

Bowel cancer is the UK’s fourth most common type of cancer, after breast, prostate and lung cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.

More than 40,000 new cases of bowel cancer were diagnosed in 2014 – around 110 a day – and the incidence of the disease has increased by 14 per cent since the late 1970s.

“When I was asked to be part of this advert I was keen that we use the opportunity to highlight the colonoscopy procedure that can remove bowel polyps, diagnose cancer earlier and through helping start treatment early save lives,” said Dr Dolwani.

“In the early stages of having a polyp or bowel cancer people may not have any symptoms and the home screening test is simple to do.

I hope viewers will be interested to see what happens during a colonoscopy to remove bowel polyps and I am thankful to Philip for allowing us to show his procedure."

After the advert was shown on Channel 4, a cancer nurse took questions on the Cancer Research UK Facebook page. To donate to Cancer Research UK click on the link here.