Programme Notes
PSHE - Up Close and Personal
Quit
Programme 3
Greg's Story
Aims:
- To explore a non-smoking young cancer sufferer's views on smoking
- To examine the dangers of tobacco smoke from his perspective
Synopsis:
The Quit series
of five programmes has been designed to raise awareness of a range of
issues surrounding cigarette smoking and legal controls on the use of
tobacco. Using personal testimonies, the audience is introduced to the
impact smoking has on people’s health and lifestyle. Smokers and
non-smokers alike discuss how addiction to cigarettes has influenced
their lives or those of their families. The series also focuses on how
tobacco companies use marketing and advertising techniques to influence
people’s smoking behaviour.
Programme 3: Greg’s Story
Greg, a non-smoking teenager in remission from cancer, talks about
the dangers of cigarette smoking and discusses why, having experienced
cancer himself, he would never start smoking.
00.00 – 04.30
Greg wants to be a professional tennis player. A non-smoker, he was diagnosed
as having cancer of the neck aged eleven and a half. He had chemotherapy, which
he found traumatic, but the cancer came back and he had to have further treatment.
He has been in remission for a year now but to be in the clear this has to extend
to five years. As he gets on with his life he wonders if, and when, the cancer might
return. Although his cancer is not smoking-related he would never smoke because
smoking causes a range of cancers and he thinks it’s just too dangerous.
Curriculum Relevance:
This programme has a major PSHE and citizenship focus with opportunities for cross-curricular
work involving human biology, religious and moral education, English, drama and
art. It has a locus in whole-school approaches to health and community development.
England & Wales
PSHE and Citizenship: Key Stage 4
National Healthy Schools Standard for Citizenship: Key Stage 4
Northern Ireland
Personal and Social Education Guidance for Key Stages 3 and 4
Social and Environmental Studies: Health and Drugs Education
Teachers should be aware of relevant guidelines for Key Stage 4 emerging from the
Civic, Social and Political Education programme of study in the revised NI curriculum,
which aims to prepare young people for participation in:
- a culturally diverse and inclusive society (social values)
- a fair and just society (civic values)
- democratic society (political values)
Curriculum Relevance:
Scotland
Scottish Executive: Guidance on Health Education, PSD, and Citizenship – middle to upper secondary stages.
Background Information:
One of the worst things facing cancer patients is the uncertainty, as we hear from
Greg in the film. Often their doctors cannot give them an accurate picture of how
their cancer is likely to progress, how long they are likely to remain in remission,
how it will respond to treatment or even what would be the most appropriate treatment.
However, cancer researchers are hoping that thanks to a new technology that lets
them watch how genes operate inside cancer cells, they will be able to predict how
a particular tumour they are studying will behave. It is also thought that these
new insights will transform our understanding of different cancers and how to treat
them. In the future we may well see tumours classified according to their particular
pattern of abnormal gene activity rather than their location in the body or organ.
Greg’s cancer does not appear to be smoking-related in any way but for
many people suffering from cancer, smoking will have played a part. Smoking causes
and contributes to a range of cancers (see background to Quit:
A Hole In My Neck in this series) and so by not smoking people can avoid a cause
of cancer they know about and, therefore, potentially reduce the risk. Other lifestyle
elements such as diet, exercise and alcohol consumption also have a potential role
to play.
Activities:
Before viewing
Tell the students they are going to see one of a series of short films focusing
on issues around smoking and tobacco control.
After viewing
Key questions:
a) What key message/s was the film trying to get across?
b) What techniques were employed to do this?
c) How successful did individuals feel these were?
d) What impact had the film made on them personally?
e) Did their feelings change at any point during the film?
f) Why would a film about a young person with a non-smoking cancer be included
in a series of films about smoking?
Activity
Ask students to complete the following task.
Imagine you are a lifestyle coach. What sort of programme would you design for Greg?
What would the headings be? What would the advice be under each heading? What would
the reason for the advice be? Look at the programme you’ve designed. Compare
it to one you might design for someone who is not in Greg’s position. Discuss
your observations.
Links:
This web page contains links to other websites that are neither controlled nor
maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for
the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.
www.cancerresearchuk.org
Has a good general section on cancer, information on developments in scientific
understanding and research, and cancer help.
www.bhf.org.uk
British Heart Foundation website gives information on lifestyle risks which can
contribute to heart disease. Smoking is a major risk factor.
www.ash.org.uk
Website of the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Contains sections
on all aspects of tobacco control including passive smoking. Has wide-ranging
statistics and summaries of recent research.
Quit: Programme 1: A Hole in my Neck
Credits:
Produced and directed by Emma Wakefield
Thanks to Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham
Graphics: INTRO
Camera: Tony Etwell
Sound: Trevor Hunter
Dubbing Mixer: Cliff Jones
Online Editors: Stuart Highsted and Ian Moffat
Music: Andrew Phillips
Production Manager: Isabelle Pavitt
Editor: Maggie Knox
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Vincent
Programme Notes: Iain Ramsay
Research: Sally Ashby
Quit: Programme 2: Hole in my Neck
Credits:
Produced and directed by Emma Wakefield
Thanks to Barracuda Group
Filmed by Pam and Meret Stokes
Graphics: INTRO
Sound: Trevor Hunter
Dubbing Mixer: Cliff Jones
Online Editors: Stuart Highsted and Ian Moffat
Music: Andrew Phillips
Production Manager: Isabelle Pavitt
Editor: Maggie Knox
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Vincent
Programme Notes: Iain Ramsay
Research: Sally Ashby
Quit: Programme 3: Greg’s Story
Credits:
Produced and directed by Lisa Fairbank
Thanks to the Caterer family
Graphics: INTRO
Camera: Ian Moss
Sound: Billy Quinn
Dubbing Mixer: Cliff Jones
Online Editors: Stuart Highsted and Ian Moffat
Music: Andrew Phillips
Production Manager: Isabelle Pavitt
Editor: Maggie Knox
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Vincent
Programme Notes: Iain Ramsay
Research: Sally Ashby
Quit: Programme 4: A Breath of Fresh Air
Credits:
Produced and directed by Emma Wakefield
Thanks to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham
Archive
BBC Television
CBS News
Film Images
ITN Archive
Graphics: INTRO
Camera: Tony Etwell
Sound: Trevor Hunter
Dubbing Mixer: Cliff Jones
Online Editors: Stuart Highsted and Ian Moffat
Music: Andrew Phillips
Production Manager: Isabelle Pavitt
Editor: Maggie Knox
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Vincent
Programme Notes: Iain Ramsay
Research: Sally Ashby
Quit: Programme 5: Dog End
Credits:
Produced and directed by Emma Wakefield
Music: Barney Quinton
Thanks to Rachel Tillotson and Claire Underwood
Animated by Sandra Ensby
Programme Notes: Iain Ramsay