Rhod Gilbert is a warm, honest host in brutal cancer documentary, A Pain in the Neck
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While on his way to perform a comedy show in Barnstaple, Rhod Gilbert received a call that changed his life. A few weeks prior, he had seen a doctor due to a lump in his neck. Now, his GP was calling with the results. The doctor suggested Gilbert pull over, and he did. The news was devastating: he had cancer in his neck, throat, tongue, and tonsils. After hanging up the phone, Gilbert turned his car around and headed home to Wales, crying throughout the journey. He cranked up his car radio and belted out songs at the top of his lungs to cope with the devastating news.
The Welsh comedian experiences intense feelings, ranging from deep sadness to wild excitement, in his Channel 4 documentary, A Pain in the Neck. The 50-minute film asks for donations for cancer research during ad breaks and presents alarming statistics about the disease. Gilbert, with his rough voice, shares at the beginning of the show that he was frightened when he was diagnosed with cancer. He wanted to distract himself and make others feel less scared, so he decided to document his journey. Hopefully, his story encourages viewers.
In this blog post, we learn about the personal side of Rhod - the real person behind his loud and showy public persona. He divides his time between Wales and London where he lives with his wife Sian and their dog Rosie. Sian chooses not to be a prominent figure in the documentary as Gilbert reveals, because like him, she is afraid of what's to come.
The blog section talks about a period of less than one year when Gilbert was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in June 2022 and received clearance in April 2023. It was a very difficult and challenging period of 10 months due to the harsh side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. During this time, Gilbert's throat and mouth were covered in sores, making it difficult for him to swallow and eat food due to nausea. He was hospitalized for four days as he couldn't eat at all. He lost a lot of weight, about two stone. In the video, we see him thanking the doctors in the radiotherapy department with tears in his eyes. He cried a few times during this period and mentioned that he may never be able to laugh again.
This movie has moments of humor. During Gilbert's initial chemotherapy session, the male nurse cautions him about side effects and advises him to use protection if he is sexually active. Gilbert laughs out loud and denies any interest in going home for a romantic connection, as he has one tonsil, no teeth, a feeding tube, and is undergoing chemotherapy. He pokes fun at his hair loss, his "chemo goatee," and the fluff from his navel as he displays the tube being used to feed him. He states that his lack of personal hygiene has nothing to do with the treatment as he deadpans, "If there's one thing I can't be asked to do, it's shower." Tracey Emin's showcasing of her stoma on Instagram after she had bladder cancer broke social norms, and Gilbert follows suit by breaking cultural taboos. We also see him and Sian bonding over a new dog and enjoying swimming in the ocean on his birthday. As a warm and honest host, Gilbert exudes genuine warmth.
The story has a strong irony. Gilbert has been travelling around the world for the last ten years to raise money for Cardiff's Velindre Cancer Centre. However, it was during a charity trek in Cuba when he discovered a lump in his neck, and he became a patient instead of a patron. To make matters worse, when he received chemotherapy at the centre, he had to sit under a huge picture of himself smiling on the wall. Gilbert says that he has heard people talk about how fantastic this place is for the past ten years and how the people who work here are like angels. He never thought he would experience it for himself, but he did, and the centre has helped him get through his ordeal.
