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Philip James Hammond (born 1 January 1962) is a British physician, broadcaster,
comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...
and commentator on health issues in the United Kingdom. He is best known for his humorous commentary on the
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
. He first came into the public spotlight writing a column for ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' newspaper, where he wrote with a strong pro-
patient rights
A patient's bill of rights is a list of guarantees for those receiving medical care. It may take the form of a law or a non-binding declaration. Typically a patient's bill of rights guarantees patients information, fair treatment, and autonomy ov ...
line and as ''
Private Eye
''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...
''s medical correspondent "MD".
Early life and education
Hammond lived in Australia until the age of seven when his Australian father, Barrie Rees Hammond, Ph.D, a Cambridge-educated physical chemist,
killed himself at the age of 38. His English mother moved the family back to England. Hammond was educated at
Marlborough Royal Free Grammar School
Marlborough Royal Free Grammar School, previously known as Marlborough Grammar School and King Edward's School, Marlborough, was a grammar school in the town of Marlborough, in Wiltshire, England, founded in 1550.
Originally for boys only, the sc ...
until its closure in 1975, then at its successor
St John's Comprehensive, before obtaining a place at
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...
as his father had taught there.
Hammond qualified as a doctor in 1987, having studied at
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status ...
and
St Thomas' Hospital Medical School
St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in London was one of the oldest and most prestigious medical schools in the UK. The school was absorbed to form part of King's College London.
History
It was part of one of the oldest hospitals in London, ...
, London.
Career
Medical career
Hammond has worked as a Lecturer in Medical Communication at the Universities of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
and
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. He previously worked as a
GP before retraining as an associate specialist in
chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing core symptoms are ...
.
Performances
He starred in his own show ''59 Minutes to save the NHS'' at the
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
and was one of two doctor-cum-comics who captained teams on a
Channel Five medical quiz, ''Tibs and Fibs'', hosted by
Tony Slattery
Tony Declan James Slattery (born 9 November 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He appeared on British television regularly from the mid-1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' His ...
.
As well as appearing on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's longest running programme, ''
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
'', Hammond has starred in the
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
TV series ''
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor'' and in the
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
series ''
Struck Off and Die'' and ''28 Minutes to Save the NHS''. He has appeared on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
TV news quiz ''
Have I Got News for You'', as well as the original and longer-running ''
The News Quiz
''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
History
''The News Quiz'' was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently, it was chaired by Barry Took from 1979 to 1981, Simon Hoggart f ...
'' on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
and ''
The Now Show
''The Now Show'' is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises the week's news. The show is a mixture of stand-up, sketches and songs hosted by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. The show used to feature regular appearances b ...
'' on the same station. He also writes the ''Medicine Balls'' column in ''
Private Eye
''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...
'', under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
"M.D." (use of pseudonyms is routine for ''Private Eye's'' regular columnists).
He presents the ''Music Group'' on BBC Radio 4 and was a regular contributor to
Gabby Logan
Gabrielle Nicole Logan (''née'' Yorath; born 24 April 1973) is a Welsh presenter and a former international rhythmic gymnast who represented Wales and Great Britain. She hosted '' Final Score'' for BBC Sport from 2009 until 2013. She has also ...
's Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 5. He also has a Saturday mid-morning show on
BBC Radio Bristol
BBC Radio Bristol is the BBC's local radio station serving Bristol, Bath and North & North East Somerset.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Broadcasting House in Bristol.
According to RAJAR, the stati ...
between 9am and 12noon.
Hammond toured the UK between 2011 and 13 with ''Dr Phil's Rude Health Show'', which was released on DVD in two parts: ''Dr Phil's Rude Health Show'' and ''Confessions of a Doctor''. They were broadcast of BBC Radio 4 Extra in August 2011. He returned to the Edinburgh Fringe for the eighth time in 2011.
In September 2013 he began touring the UK with a new show, ''Games to Play with Your Doctor''.
Hammond did two shows at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe: ''Life and Death (But Mainly Death)'' and ''Dr Phil's NHS Revolution''. He toured them together as ''Dr Phil's Health Revolution'' in 2017.
Non-medical broadcasting
Hammond co-presented ''
The Heaven and Earth Show
''The Heaven and Earth Show'' is a BBC television programme that aired on Sunday mornings from 10am to 11am on BBC One. The show ran for nine years between 1998 and 2007, looking at spiritual and moral issues. Over the years it had numerous prese ...
'' on BBC1 with
Juliet Morris in 2000. He presented two series for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
of ''Pillories of the State'' in 1999/2000 and presents the ''Music Group'', also on Radio 4 (sixth series 2011). Hammond has also frequently appeared as a guest in the Dictionary Corner on ''
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
''.
Hammond was a presenter for
BBC Radio Bristol
BBC Radio Bristol is the BBC's local radio station serving Bristol, Bath and North & North East Somerset.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Broadcasting House in Bristol.
According to RAJAR, the stati ...
from 2007, broadcasting on Saturday mornings until on 21 August 2018, he was sacked from the show, after announcing his intention to stand for election as an MP for the
National Health Action Party, in the constituency of
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset since 2010. Now a backbencher, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council ...
.
Politics
While a junior doctor, Hammond contested the
1992 general election under the title "Struck Off and Die Doctor's Alliance". He ran in the
Bristol West constituency against
William Waldegrave, the then
Secretary of State for Health
The secretary of state for health and social care, also referred to as the health secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care. The incumbent ...
, capturing 87 votes.
He was one of those who broke the
Bristol heart scandal
The Bristol heart scandal occurred in England during the 1990s. At the Bristol Royal Infirmary, babies died at high rates after cardiac surgery. An inquiry found "staff shortages, a lack of leadership, ... unit ... 'simply not up to the task' ... ...
in 1992 and was later called to give evidence at the subsequent enquiry.
In 2009, Hammond broke allegations about pathology misdiagnosis in Bristol, the subject of an independent inquiry chaired by Jane Mishcon. He also campaigned for an inquiry into the sacking of Cornwall chief executive John Watkinson. His ''
Private Eye
''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...
'' columns are available on his website.
In July 2011, Hammond co-authored
''Private Eye'' special investigationwith Andrew Bousfield called ''Shoot the Messenger'', exposing the shocking treatment of NHS
whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
s and how large sums of public money are used to silence them and cover up their concerns. It triggered an
early day motion
In the Westminster parliamentary system, an early day motion (EDM) is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by members of Parliament that formally calls for debate "on an early day". In practice, they are rarely debated in the House a ...
in Parliament by
Peter Bottomley
Sir Peter James Bottomley (born 30 July 1944) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1975 when elected for Woolwich West, serving until it was abolished before the 1983 general election. ...
, MP. Hammond and Bousfield also launched
websitededicated to NHS staff, patients and relatives who have highlighted concerns about safety in the NHS. They were involved in referring
Barbara Hakin to the
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...
.
In August 2018 he announced his intention to stand for election as an MP for the
National Health Action Party, in the
North East Somerset constituency of
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset since 2010. Now a backbencher, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council ...
.
As a result, the BBC sacked him from his Bristol radio show.
Writing
Hammond co-authored ''Trust Me, I'm a Doctor'' (Metro Books) with Michael Mosley, the executive producer of the BBC2 series of the same name. There are two editions (1999 and 2002), both out of print. Hammond is the sole author of ''Medicine Balls - Consultations with the World's Greatest TV Doctor'' (2007, 2008) and ''Trust Me, I'm (Still) a Doctor'' (2008, 2009) and ''Sex, Sleep or Scrabble? - Seriously Funny Answers to Life's Quirkiest Questions'' (2009, 2010) and
What Doctors Really Think...16 Years of Wit, Wisdom, and Lies' (2014). His most recent book is ''Staying Alive: How to Get the Best From the NHS''
With
David Spicer, Hammond wrote a four-part
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
satire called ''Polyoaks'', about GPs struggling with the then-government's NHS reforms. First broadcast in June 2011, it starred
Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, comedian, musician, novelist and playwright. He played Neil in the BBC comedy '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in ''Filthy Rich & Catflap''. He has appeared in many West End mu ...
,
Tony Gardner
Tony Gardner (born 10 January 1964) is an English actor and doctor. He sits on the national governing body of the actors' trade union Equity.
Career
Gardner qualified as a physician at Guy's Hospital in 1987, then as a general practitioner in ...
,
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...
,
David Westhead
David William Logan Westhead (born 1 June 1963) is an English actor.
Early life
Westhead was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire. He studied drama at Bristol University before going on to RADA, from where he graduated in 1987, after which he joine ...
,
Carla Mendonça
Carla Mendonça (born 1961) in Coventry, Warwickshire is a British actress. She is known for playing Orla Crawshaw in ''Coronation Street'', Sophie Johnson in the CITV children's sitcom ''My Parents Are Aliens'' (2001–2006) and Mrs. Fitzgeral ...
,
David Holt,
Phil Cornwell
Philip Cornwell (born 5 October 1957) is an English actor, comedian, impressionist and writer. He is part of the '' Dead Ringers'' television and radio series, and was the voice of Murdoc Niccals in the virtual band Gorillaz. Cornwell has co- ...
and
Kate O'Sullivan, with a second series of four transmitted in 2012. Spicer and Hammond's third series of four episodes of ''Polyoaks'' ran on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
from 6 June 2014. The fourth series, consisting of six episodes, was broadcast in 2016. A fifth series has been commissioned for broadcast in 2017
In 1999, he was reported to the
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...
by
William Hague
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
's press secretary over an article he wrote about Hague's slow recovery from a cold. He writes for the ''
Mendip Times
The Mendip Times is a monthly magazine, distributed free of charge in the Mendip Hills and surrounding areas of Somerset, England.
It was launched in 2005 and has three employees, who also produce Mendip TV.
The owner, Steve Egginton, is a form ...
'', celebrating life on the
Mendips
The Mendip Hills (commonly called the Mendips) is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running from Weston-super-Mare and the Bristol Channel in the west to the Frome valley in the east, the hills ...
and in surrounding areas.
In 2021, he published ''Dr Hammond's Covid Casebook'', a collection of 30 of his fortnightly columns in ''
Private Eye
''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...
'' which formed a detailed analysis of the management of the
COVID-19 pandemic in England.
Other roles
Hammond is Vice President of the
Patients Association
The Patients Association is an independent charity operating in the UK that aims to improve patients' experience of healthcare. Established in 1963, it became a registered charity in 1991. The Patients Association works with patients directly: ...
and a patron of
Meningitis UK Meningitis Now is a national charity based in the United Kingdom. It was formed following a merger between the charities The Meningitis Trust and Meningitis UK in 2013. Meningitis Now is working towards a future where no one in the UK dies from meni ...
, the
Doctors Support Network, the
Herpes Viruses Association
The Herpes Viruses Association (formerly the Herpes Association) was started in 1982. It is a support group for people with Herpes simplex virus. It conducts information campaigns and attempts to reduce the stigma associated with sexually transm ...
,
Patients First and Kissing It Better. He is an advisor for the Association of Young People with ME and a Champion for the Point of Care Foundation He is also a patron of
My Death My Decision
My Death, My Decision (MDMD) is an organisation that campaigns for the legalisation of assisted dying in England and Wales. The group was founded in 2009, in order to campaign for a change in the law and advocate on behalf of adults of sound ...
, an organisation which seeks a more compassionate approach to dying in the UK, including giving people the legal right to a
medically assisted death if that is their persistent wish.
References
External links
www.drphilhammond.com - Official websitePhil Hammond's Biography : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide
*
Medical Harm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, Philip
1962 births
Living people
British comedians
20th-century English medical doctors
People educated at Marlborough College
Private Eye contributors
Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge
Alumni of King's College London
21st-century English medical doctors
British general practitioners