Comedy fans may already be familiar with chunks of Janey Godley's life from her past stand-up shows and her autobiography, Handstands In The Dark. But this powerfully funny new four-part radio series casts them in a new light and brings things very much up to date.

The outspoken Glaswegian comedian is currently being treated for terminal cancer but that's not the C word the title refers to. Nor is it C**t, the word she wrote on a placard about Donald Trump. The C word here is counselling (although with her strong accent I briefly thought she meant Cancelling). After an emotional rollercoaster of a life Godley is now having therapy.

And in a way this programme is a sort of therapy too, as she recounts the major incidents in her life. Partly onstage in stand-up mode, partly in conversation with her daughter, fellow comic, Ashley Storrie. Godley is a superb storyteller and it is impossible not to be moved by her directness.

One section about her mother in the first episode is particularly powerful. Godley talks about her tough childhood and the support she got from her mother. After a playground incident Godley's mum went to the school and punched a teacher to sort a matter out. How's that for directness. At home, however, things were more complicated. When Janey told her mum she was being sexually abused her mother was less able to help, saying if her father heard about it he'd kill the abuser and end up in prison.

At times this slides towards we-had-it-tough misery memoir territory, but Godley always pulls things back with a joke and a laugh. Maybe her use of comedy as a defence mechanism was the reason she went so long without seeking traditional therapy. Ultimately The C Word is about love, family and honesty. Powerful stuff, definitely not your usual "Radio 4, 6.30pm comedy" fare.

The C Bomb, Radio 4, Tuesdays from June 20, 6.30pm and on listen again.