The Bowelbabe documentary gives audiences an intimate look into Dame Deborah James' five year cancer journey - sharing never-before-seen footage and interviews with the lady herself.
A force to be reckoned with - Dame Deborah James will always be warmly remembered as an honest and hilarious campaigner who changed the way we think about bowel cancer. The mum-of-two worked tirelessly to raise awareness of her incurable cancer, giving insights into her life with the disease and inspiring others with similar diagnoses. Her final gift came in the form of the Bowelbabe fund - launched a month before her death last June - which continues to accept donations and has raised over £11 million for Cancer Research UK to date.
Deborah's story and legacy is once again in the spotlight this Spring with the release of new documentary Bowelbabe: In Her Own Words. The late Dame worked alongside a dedicated crew in the final few months of her life to chart her highs and lows, in a piece of television that marks and celebrates the life and achievements of the trailblazer.
Bowelbabe documentary - Release date
Dame Deborah James' Bowelbabe: In Her Own Words documentary will air in Spring 2023 on BBC Two. The 80-minute special will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer after transmission.
The documentary delves into Deborah's final five years, from her diagnosis and the development of her powerful Bowelbabe social presence to her treatment, damehood and death. "Filmed with Deborah in the last months of her life, she talks frankly about her diagnosis, treatment and shares many personal moments whilst dancing and documenting what the reality of living with bowel cancer was really like for her and those closest to her," reads the official documentary synopsis.
📺 Dame Deborah James Storyville documentary to air on @BBCTwo and @BBCiPlayer this springBowelbabe: In Her Own Words details the last extraordinary five years of cancer campaigner Dame Deborah James’s life on film.Read more ➡️ https://t.co/ZhQOO5KiKa pic.twitter.com/NNYZEP9FQNMarch 2, 2023
Lucie Kon, Commissioning Editor at BBC Storyville, explained how Deborah worked with the documentary team right up until the last few weeks of her life. Whilst sadly no longer with us, Kon says that Deborah "was adamant that it was finished" and that it air to further raise awareness.
"It’s an incredibly powerful and beautiful piece – emotional, intimate and unique," says Kon. "With enormous warmth and good humour, the documentary echoes the powerful, honest and direct way that Deborah communicated, as if she were talking to a friend or confidante."
What happened to Deborah James aka 'Bowelbabe'?
Dame Deborah James passed away on June 28, 2022, aged 40. A month prior, the podcaster and author announced she had decided to move into end-of-life care following her fight with incurable bowel cancer for five years.
When announcing her decision to receive respite care in May 2022, James launched the Bowelbabe Fund to raise money for UK charity Cancer Research. In the weeks following, the campaign amassed over £7 million. Her charitable efforts led to Deborah being made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II. Prince William stopped by her parent's home that same month for tea, champagne and to present Deborah with her damehood personally.
In April 2023, the Bowelbabe fund shared that the current total stands at £11.3 million. "This incredible amount of money will help give more people more time with the people they love by funding cutting-edge research, spreading the word about signs and symptoms, and smashing the stigmas around cancer," reads the Bowelbabe social media post.
The fund remains open today and still accepting donations for Cancer Research UK. You can donate via the official website.
Deborah was just 35-years-old when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December 2016. The former deputy headteacher quit her day job to educate and inspire other cancer patients across the world. Her campaigning included a weekly cancer column for The Sun newspaper and presenting the BBC 5 live podcast You, Me and the Big C alongside Lauren Mahon and the late Rachael Bland.
In addition to the Bowelbabe fund, Deborah launched a charity clothing line with In the Style in the last month of her life (which raised an extra £1 million) and managed to get toilet paper company Andrex to print the symptoms of bowel cancer on 29 million packs of their toilet paper.
Announcing Deborah's death back in June 2022, her family re-shared her words of wisdom to champion going forward. "Find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope. And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life."
Find out more about Bowel Cancer symptoms and how to check your poo for Bowel Cancer.
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