Radio host and actor, Craig Charles, is to perform a live DJ set during a live stand-up comedy show at The Oast House in Manchester, headlined by Jason Manford – in memory of his long-time friend Michelle Mullane – a former XFM and Key 103 radio presenter who passed away from bowel cancer at the age of 50.
The Radio 2 and Radio 6 presenter has joined the festival-style event, along with other big-name support acts from the worlds of comedy and music, still to be announced over the coming months.
The ‘Howl for the Bowel’ open-air show will take place on Easter bank holiday Monday this year –18 April 2022 – after Covid-19 forced it to be postponed, with profits from the ticket sales going to Cancer Research UK.
There will be a limited number of tickets available for this exclusive and intimate event. The first release sold out before Christmas and the second release, priced at £40, can be found at theoasthouse.uk.com/howlforthebowel.
Craig said, “It is an honour to be a part of an event like Howl For The Bowel – it gives me great pleasure to play for such a great cause. I look forward to seeing you all there at the Oast House April 18th!”
Michelle Mullane, who created Howl For The Bowel as she was undergoing treatment for incurable bowel cancer, was a familiar voice across Manchester’s airwaves as she hosted lively talk shows on both XFM and Key 103, along with making regular appearances on BBC Radio Manchester.
After a bravely fought battle, she passed away peacefully on Christmas Eve 2020 with hundreds of people – including former colleagues and celebrities like comedians Jason Manford and Phil Jupitus, Britain’s Got Talent star Steve Royle and BBC Radio Manchester’s Phil Trow – paying tribute to her.
Jason Manford first met Michelle over a decade ago when she invited him onto her radio show ‘Michelle Around Midnight’ to chat about his up-and-coming comedy career. To this day, Jason still credits Michelle with giving him his first big break on the airwaves and helping him to carve out a successful career in comedy.
Jason commented, “Michelle was such a dear friend and helped me before I was anyone. She gave a lot of comedians their first chance of being on the radio and all my times I spent with her I only remember laughter. So, it feels fitting to help put this show together in her honour.”
The event is being generously sponsored by aps Media & Events, who are also producing the show, and The New World Trading Company, who own The Oast House in Spinningfields.
Michelle’s daughter, Liv Winter added, “I am so excited that Howl For The Bowel is nearly upon us and that people are going to come to have a fun night and raise money for research into bowel cancer. My mum worked extremely hard on this event, despite being so poorly, and I am honoured to continue her legacy, including spreading awareness of how important it is to go and get checked out if they’re worried about a change in their body.”
Chris Doyle, Relationship Manager at Cancer Research UK said, “Michelle was an incredible woman who always had a smile on her face. Her smile would have been even bigger with the confirmation of Craig joining the line-up.
Cancer Research UK has made enormous progress in the fight against the disease. However, we have been hit hard by COVID-19. Almost every way we raise money to fund our research was impacted by the pandemic, with our shops temporarily closed, and events cancelled.
“One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. All of us can support the research that will beat it.”
