Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Phil Hammond and Dame Clare Gerada: Fifty Minutes to Save the NHS
Phil Hammond and Clare Gerada
Genre: Comedy
Venue: The Space @ Surgeons’ Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
For anyone who’s ever navigated the NHS (so, all of us), this show is a must-see. It’s a rare piece of comedy that will have you crying with laughter one moment and seriously contemplating policy reform the next.
Review
“Born in the NHS!” is the cry that starts this 50 minutes of evidence based comedy – 80% of the audience cheer and join in. Dr Phil Hammond goes on to chant ‘Born Before the NHS” – a handful, and “Born outside the NHS” – the tourists, neatly demonstrating just how important and central the NHS is to all our lives.
In a world where laughter and medicine often appear together, Dr. Phil Hammond and Dame Clare Gerada have concocted a show that moves beyond mere jokes: comedy with a conscience. Their show tackles the challenges the NHS faces with a combination of biting satire and heartfelt concern, engaging the audience in a much-needed conversation about the state of our health service.
From the start, it’s clear this isn’t your typical stand-up routine. Hammond and Gerada, both seasoned doctors, cut through the usual comedy fluff to deliver sharp, evidence-based observations on the NHS. They start with the way that the NHS is a victim of its own success. They ask tough questions—Does the NHS need saving, funding, or fixing? Why are its staff so exhausted and demoralised? And perhaps most poignantly, why can’t we emulate the health systems of countries like Sweden or Singapore?
Hammond, with polished wit and effortless charm, plays the role of the classic comedian, offering up sharp jabs and humorous anecdotes. His partner in crime, Gerada, initially takes on the more serious, straight-talking role. Yet, it’s clear she’s learning the ropes of comedy fast, delivering snappy comebacks with increasing confidence as the show progresses. Together, they form a dynamic duo, reminiscent of Morecambe and Wise—only with data, facts, important stuff.
The brilliance of this show lies in its ability to distil complex issues into digestible nuggets, often eliciting gales of laughter. At other times you could hear a pin drop as the key fact landed. For instance, who will forget that the risk of stroke begins to decrease after just 30 minutes of quitting smoking? They convey intricate health policies and practices with clarity and humour. Topics as heavy as assisted dying and addiction were handled with both seriousness and levity, engaging the audience fully.
What sets this show apart is its underlying hope and pragmatism. They do address the importance of policy and politics but also focus on our need to contribute, to care for our health. Their call for a revolution in the NHS—from the bottom up, led by patients—resonated deeply. Hammond and Gerada remind us that patient involvement and personal responsibility are crucial in shaping the future of healthcare. The idea that our individual actions can improve the NHS is both empowering and sobering.
While the show perhaps falls short of offering a detailed blueprint for the NHS’s future, how to continue to provide the services that it does now whilst making change. Putting the community and preventive care in further ‘upstream’ to both improve health and to reduce demand on hospital services that they want to see, this should spark crucial conversations.
For anyone who’s ever navigated the NHS (so, all of us), this show is a must-see. It’s a rare piece of comedy that will have you crying with laughter one moment and seriously contemplating policy reform the next.
