Robert Alexander Amiel Buckman (22 August 1948 – 9 October 2011) was a British doctor of medicine, comedian and author, and president of the Humanist Association of Canada. He first appeared in a Cambridge University Footlights Revue in 1968, and subsequently presented several television and radio programmes about medicine, as well as appearing on comedy programmes such as '' Just a Minute''. He was also the author of many popular books on medicine.

Early life and education

Buckman took part in the comedy sketch show ''What are you doing after the show'' in 1970–71. Buckman attended University College School and graduated in medicine from St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1972. He continued his medical training at the Royal Marsden Hospital and

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lond ...

, London, becoming a fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

. Buckman was raised in a middle class Jewish family.

Broadcasting and comedy

Buckman was a familiar voice 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 Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

during the 1970s and 1980s, both on panel shows, and fronting one-off programmes on scientific topics. He contributed scripts to the sitcom ''

Doctor on the Go ''Doctor on the Go'' is a British television comedy series based on a set of books by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of doctors. The series follows directly from its predecessor '' Doctor at Sea'' and was the final series ...

'', based on the Richard Gordon books. Together with fellow doctor Chris Beetles, he formed a comedy double act "Beetles and Buckman". The pair wrote and performed in the ''Pink Medicine Show'' TV series with Lynda Bellingham. They were two of the performers and writers of the first '' Secret Policeman's Ball'' fundraiser in 1979, with Billy Connolly,

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

and Eleanor Bron. Buckman was television presenter of science programmes such as '' Don't Ask Me'' in the 1970s, and then the medical programme ''

Where There's Life ''Where There's Life'' is a 1947 American thriller comedy film directed by Sidney Lanfield.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; October 11, 1947, page 162. The film's title derives from a line in ''Don Quixote'' ("Where there's life, there's hope" ...

'' with

Miriam Stoppard Miriam, Lady Hogg ( Stern; formerly Stoppard; born 12 May 1937), known professionally by her former married name Miriam Stoppard, is an English medical doctor, journalist, author and television presenter. Early life and medical career Miria ...

for its first three series from 1981. He continued this career in Canada where he contributed to TVOntario programmes such as ''Your Health'' and the

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

medical show ''Balance'' as well as frequent guest appearances on ''The Dini Petty Show''. His television series ''Magic or Medicine?'' investigated

alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and ...

and won a

Gemini award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United State ...

, while ''Human Wildlife'' covered microbes in the domestic environment. He was the subject of ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' in 1981 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

in London. He was a member of the atheists team on CBC's '' Test the Nation: IQ'' broadcast live on 24 January 2010.

Writings in popular medicine

Besides tie-ins to his TV series, Buckman authored several books of medical humour, such as ''Out of Practice'' (1978), ''Jogging from Memory: or letters to Sigmund Freud'' (1980), and ''The Buckman Treatment; or a doctor's tour in North America'' (1989). Later, as Robert Buckman, he contributed as author or co-author to a series of ''What You Really Need to Know About...'' books on common medical conditions, including cancer,

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, c ...

high blood pressure Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high b ...

, HRT (all 1999),

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, stroke, and

irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a "disorder of gut-brain interaction" characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain and or abdominal bloating and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms ma ...

(2000). This was also the title of a long-running series of information films that he presented, and in many cases also scripted, for

's Video Arts company.

Medical hiatus

In 1979, Buckman was diagnosed with

dermatomyositis Dermatomyositis (DM) is a long-term inflammatory disorder which affects skin and the muscles. Its symptoms are generally a skin rash and worsening muscle weakness over time. These may occur suddenly or develop over months. Other symptoms may in ...

, an autoimmune disease which seriously affected his ability to work and was nearly fatal. His illness and recovery over the next couple of years was the subject of a 1981 UK TV documentary, ''Your Own Worst Enemy''.

Later career

Buckman emigrated to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, Canada, in 1985 and initially stayed with his cousin, journalist

Barbara Amiel Barbara Joan Estelle Amiel, Baroness Black of Crossharbour, DSS (born 4 December 1940), is a British-Canadian conservative journalist, writer, and socialite. She is married to former media proprietor Conrad Black. Early life and career Amiel w ...

. In 1994 he was named Canada's Humanist of the Year. He was a signer of Humanist Manifesto 2000. He was president of the Humanist Association of Canada and chair of the Advisory Board on Bioethics of the International Humanist and Ethical Union. His main popular work in

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

was ''Can We Be Good Without God? Biology, Behaviour and the Need to Believe''. He was a founding member of the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Buckman practised medical oncology at the Princess Margaret Hospital. He was a professor in the Department of Medicine at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...

and held an adjunct professorship at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in the US state of Texas. He specialised in breast cancer and teaching communication skills in oncology. In this role, he created the SPIKES protocol for delivering bad news to patients. In 2006 he began writing a weekly column in '' The Globe and Mail''.

Death

Buckman died in his sleep while flying from London to Toronto on 9 October 2011. The cause is unknown. He was 63.

Selected publications

* ''Out of Practice'', illustrations by

Bill Tidy William Edward "Bill" Tidy, MBE (born 9 October 1933), is a British cartoonist, writer and television personality, known chiefly for his comic strips. Tidy was appointed MBE in 2000 for "Services to Journalism". He is noted for his charitable wo ...

. Deutsch. 1978. * ''Jogging from Memory''. Heinemann. 1980. * ''Medicine Balls Too''. Papermac. 1988. * ''I Don't Know What To Say – How To Help and Support Someone Who Is Dying'' 1988. * ''Not dead yet: the unauthorised autobiography of Dr. Robert Buckman, complete with a map, many photographs & irritating footnotes''. Doublesday. 1990. * ''How To Break Bad News: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals''. Papermac. 1992. * ''Magic or Medicine? An investigation of Healing and Healers'' (with

Karl Sabbagh Karl Sabbagh is a British writer, journalist, television producer, and convicted sex offender. His work is mainly non-fiction: he has written books about historical events and produced documentaries for both British and American broadcasters. ...

). Macmillan. 1993. * ''Who can ever understand? : talking about your cancer'' with John Elsegood. 1995. * ''What You Really Need to Know About Cancer: A Guide for Patients and their Families''. Pan paperback. 1997. * Robert Buckman. Anne Charlish. ed. ''What You Really Need to Know About Living With Depression''. Lebhar-Friedman Books. 2000. * ''Can We Be Good Without God?: Biology, Behavior, and the Need to Believe'', Prometheus Books, 2002. * ''Human Wildlife: The Life That Lives on Us'', Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. * Robert Buckman. With contributions by Dr. Pamela Catton and staff of Princess Margaret Hospital. ''Cancer is a Word, Not a Sentence''. Firefly Books. 2006.

References

External links

*
University of Toronto biographyThe BBC Guide to Comedy
*
Obituary
'' The Globe and Mail'', 11 October 2011
Obituary
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', 12 October 2011
Obituary
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'', 15 October 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckman, Rob 1948 births 2011 deaths 20th-century English medical doctors Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge British medical researchers British oncologists English atheists English expatriates in Canada English humanists English television personalities English television writers Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians People educated at University College School Writers from London University of Toronto faculty Sandford Fleming Award recipients