Comedy items under the hammer for charity

A number of comedy treats – including a  VIP Taskmaster studio experience and  a hand-painted ceramic vase by Joe Lycett are being auctioned off for charity.

They are going under the virtual hammer as part of Piece of Mind: The Brain Tumour Charity Auction which is being organised by Antiques Roadshow expert Theo Burrell – who has an incurable brain tumour herself.The auction is live now via www.pieceofmind.auction, and closes at 7pm on June 21.

The comedy-related lots include:

Lot 3: VIP studio experience for four, for comedy show Taskmaster – for which bidding has already exceeded £2,000

Lot 9: Two tickets to see Mrs Brown's Boys live tour, plus a chance to meet cast members.

Lot 12: Two tickets to see Adam Kay, plus a Michelin starred meal with the writer-comedian

Lot 17: A hand-painted ceramic vase, by Joe Lycett, carrying the word ‘Slags’

Lot 18: Two tickets to see Chris & Rosie Ramsey, with meet and greet, at Wembley Arena.

Lot 44: A clapperboard from Netflix comedy Sex Education.

Lot 45: A curated day at Edinburgh Festival Fringe for two organised by producers Avalon

Lot 52: Two tickets to new musical Operation Mincemeat, plus signed merchandise.

Others include an audio message for your child from Ben Whishaw, the voice of Paddington Bear, Latitude Festival tickets and a studio tour of The Chase.

Burrell, who works for the Lyon & Turnbull  auction house,  was diagnosed with an aggressive grade 4 glioblastoma in the summer of 2022. 

She says: ‘Receiving my diagnosis, at the age of 35, when my son was one year old, was devastating. Overnight everything had changed. Suddenly I'd gone from being a healthy person in the middle of my life with a new baby, to having incurable cancer with maybe only a year or two left to live. 

‘What followed was months of surgery and treatment to try and prolong my life, and although I continue to make the best of each day, my tumour will return and it will kill me. 

‘My care has been excellent and new advances in science have helped me fight cancer so far. However, only by funding research into brain tumours can we get closer to a life-saving cure."’

Gina Almond, director of fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity, said: ‘We are hugely grateful to Theo and everyone working together on the auction. There are some amazing items so kindly donated and the funds raised will make a huge difference to our work to accelerate a cure for brain tumours and double survival and halve the harm they cause.’

Published: 14 Jun 2023