Comedian Matt Forde has revealed that he was visited by Keir Starmer and a number of comedians when he was in hospital being treated for a rare form of bone cancer.

Speaking to the Times Forde said: “Keir Starmer visited me. It was the day after Newcastle had played Arsenal. We just talked about VAR the whole time. It was funny just to talk football and have that escapism because they’re the things that make you forget that you’re in pain.”

Forde was also cheered up by a number of comedy colleagues that saw him during his ten-week treatment in 2023. Jon Richardson, James Acaster, Ivo Graham, Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar all turned up and they took Forde's mind off his pain by watching funny YouTube videos. "Tim Vine appeared in a tuxedo."

Forde is now recovering and is going out on tour this autumn. His show will be mainly about politics but he will also be talking about his personal experiences in the last few years which have included erectile dysfunction, one of the side effects of the surgery.

Tour details here.

Forde is also due to play an all-star fundraiser for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, the hospital that treated him. Details of the gig here.

Read the full interview here

Photo credit: David Monteith-Hodge