Bill Bailey - Bill Bailey Fronts Male Cancer Awareness Campaign

The funnyman is launching The Sledgehammer Fund in aid of Prostate Cancer Uk to highlight the scale of the disease in Britain and replicate the success breast cancer charities have had in attracting support.

Bailey will appear in Tv, digital and print ads as part of the campaign which will include the tag line, "Do yourself a favour and do your dad a favour" by donating cash to the charity.

The campaign is one close to Bailey's heart as his father-in-law was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10 years ago. He has since recovered but the star insists the quick diagnosis saved his life, and he is encouraging men to get checked.

Bailey tells Britain's Daily Mirror, "It hit us like a ton of bricks. Until then, he was healthy and well. Peter used to be a doctor and it was ­discovered during a routine test. He had a short course of radiotherapy and hormone treatment and ­fortunately he needed no surgery. The fact that he caught it early enough made all the ­difference...

"Men shouldn't be afraid of having the examination as it's quick, simple and it saved his life. Better to forget any ­embarrassment, go through with it and if there's a problem, get it picked up. Blokes are really bad when it comes to health issues generally. It's male pride - we don't want to admit we're ill as it may be seen as a ­weakness or a lack of masculinity. It can be a stumbling block - and a killer."