Alan Davies says spotting blood in his urine saved his life
Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Alan Davies was diagnosed with bladder cancer after noticing blood in his urine and seeking medical advice.
Doctors removed a tumour and the comedian is now in remission.
About 500 New Zealanders are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year, with blood in the urine one of the most common warning signs.
If comedy legend Alan Davies had peed in the dark one early morning, he might not be alive today. It sounds dramatic, but I’m not joking.
One morning - because the light was on - Alan noticed there was blood in his urine. Like most humans would, he Googled it.
The results made him quickly book in to see his doctor.
“The doctor said to me, ‘When you had a wee, did it hurt?’ And I said, ‘No, no, it’s fine, no pain’, thinking that was a good thing.
“He looked quite solemn and said, ‘I’m gonna put you on a two-week cancer [treatment].’”
That visit to the doctor - and, yes, the light - saved Alan’s life. After some touch-and-go moments, and having a camera put up his penis (a procedure called a cystoscopy), the doctors found a tumour in his bladder - just in time.
Bladder cancer can go unnoticed
It’s estimated 500 New Zealanders are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year. Bladder cancer is more common in men than women and typically affects people over 60.
The main risk factor is cigarette smoking, but it can show up years after quitting - like with Alan, who hasn’t smoked in 20 years.
In its early stages, bladder cancer can go completely unnoticed. But as the tumour grows, the most common symptoms are urine that looks red or rusty and the need to urinate often.
‘I’m a very serious urine observer’
Alan is a British stand-up comedian, actor and TV personality. He’s probably best known in New Zealand for being a team captain on comedy panel show QI and his role as the title character in BBC comedy-drama-magic-crime show Jonathan Creek.
What’s incredible about his health story is if he had ignored the blood in his urine that morning, he would have missed the rare warning sign that something wasn’t right.
“When the tumour is growing, it ruptures a blood vessel as it grows, and blood comes out in your wee. But this happens only once, maybe twice. Then it heals and then the tumour goes back to growing in the dark,” Alan says.
“If you don’t see that bit of blood in your wee, and you miss it - sometimes if I’m walking the dog in the woods, I might have a wee behind a tree - I wouldn't have seen it.”
Alan’s tumour was removed and he’s now in remission.
Ahead of a stand-up tour in New Zealand, he has a clear message for Kiwis who might put off seeing the doctor, hoping the issue will fix itself.
“Blood in your urine is an immediate call to the doctor. There's nothing in the pharmacy for you. Anything unusual like that it’s worth following up.
“I’m a very serious urine observer now,” Alan says. “Nothing passes me by, and I certainly don’t have a wee in the dark.”
‘If you’re beside me at a urinal in Hamiltron’
Alan wants to make it clear he won’t be spying on people’s urine while in New Zealand next year.
“I would like to stress if you're alongside me at a urinal in Hamiltron…” [yes, he actually said Hamiltron] “… I'm not looking at your wee, I promise you that. If I see blood in mine though, you'll know all about it because there'll be an exclamation.”
Alan is returning to New Zealand for the first time in more than a decade. He will bring his new stand-up show, Think Ahead, to multiple cities, with his first stop in “Hamiltron” on July 31.
This piece of editorial is part of the Paddy Gower Does Stuff health series, brought to you by Chemist Warehouse. Stay tuned for other episodes, releasing each week on Stuff. Check out more great stories and videos from Paddy here.