Jon Culshaw In Prostate Cancer Appeal
Impersonator Jon Culshaw has added some famous faces from the world of sport to his repertoire for the first time for a series of adverts aimed at raising awareness of prostate cancer. In three ads – with a serious message – Culshaw appears as football manager Harry Redknapp, racing pundit John McCririck and Italian sports journalist Tiziano Crudeli , in a bid to get men talking about the disease – the most common cancer in men in the UK.
The trio of adverts, created by Prostate Cancer UK, use various betting scenarios including two spoofs of well-known Ladbrokes and Bet 365 ads to warn men, using their language, that the likelihood of getting the disease is 8/1. These ads also feature footballing pundit Mark Bright and TV personality Tommy Walsh – committed supporters of Prostate Cancer UK – starring as themselves.
Jon Culshaw said: ‘When I heard that the odds of getting prostate cancer were 8:1 I was shocked. I had very limited knowledge about the disease before I made these ads and I know there must be many people out there who are the same. If this publicity drive can shift prostate cancer up the agenda and encourage people to support Prostate Cancer UK I will be happy.’
Culshaw added: ‘This type of advert is a first for me and a great idea. I’ve never done impressions of Harry Redknapp, John McCririck and Tiziano before, so I hope they like it – and Mark Bright and Tommy Walsh were brilliant and very funny starring as themselves. I hope that using comedy in this way will prompt men to think twice and put a knowledge of prostate cancer in their minds for as and when they need it. I hope it will make men stop and think and realise that one day it could affect them, to maximise the chance of detecting it early.’
The adverts – which also call for donations to the charity – coincide with Prostate Cancer UK’s new campaign the Sledgehammer Fund fronted by comedian Bill Bailey which will run between January and the end of March. The aim of the Fund is to generate cash to support Prostate Cancer UK’s ambitious work to increase research spend into the disease, as well as improve the support men receive through the delivery of world class services.
