Mark Steel has rveealed that he is being treated for throat cancer.

Steel broke the news in his regular podcast, What The F*** Is Going On? here and also in an article in The Guardian. Read the full article here.

Steel wrote in The Guardian that the cancer was diagnosed after he noticed an unusual lump in his neck and had tests and a biopsy. After the inital biopsy was lost in transit he was diagnosed with secondary cancer - cancer in two places.

'“Is this deadly?” I asked. “Touch wood,” he said. And he touched some wood, which I suppose was professional. My head ran into a series of extreme areas. Two of my closest friends, Linda Smith and Jeremy Hardy, died of cancer. I was with each of them in their final days, and often wonder about the sheer randomness of how long we’re allotted. If I conked out now, would that be unlucky? I would still be luckier by several years than either of them, and it would be hard to argue my extra time was down to skill.'

The good news is the cancer is 'very treatable' through chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Steel is planning to take six months off performing. The tour, which will be rescheduled, is called An Evening And A Little Bit of A Morning. The title comes courtesy of his late friend Jeremy Hardy, who joked about the length of Steel's sets. 

Today was an eventful day for comedians and sickness. Matt Forde has been suffering from bad sciatica due to a spine tumour and has to have surgery. He tweeted: "I’ll be off for a bit. I’ll record some shows to cover the gap (subscribe wherever you get your podcasts). I’ll be fine. In the words of Steve Cooper, I’ll trust the process."

And John Robins has had to postpone tonight's gig on his Howl tour because he has lost his voice.