BBC Documentaries

Me, My Brother and Our Balls (2020x180)

: 05, 2020

Me, My Brother and Our Balls is an intimate and personal documentary exploring male fertility with Love Island star Chris Hughes and his brother Ben. When Chris, who had suffered from testicular health scares in the past, appeared on live television to have a testicular examination, it made a huge impact. Chris’s aim was to raise awareness of testicular cancer and encourage men to check themselves. What he didn’t expect was the effect it would have closer to home. As a consequence of that appearance, and inspired by his brother for having 'had the balls' to do it, Chris’s older brother Ben checked himself for the first time, found a lump and was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Prior to an operation to have his testicle removed, Ben went to freeze his sperm for potential use after the operation. It was during this process that he discovered his sample didn’t contain any sperm at all. With both boys now concerned about their fertility, they embark on a journey to find out where they stand and what the future holds for them. Aside from their own medical stories, where Chris discovers how his fertility has changed since he was last tested six years earlier and Ben learns about his fertility prospects, the brothers meet a variety of people to explore the wider issues. Chris and Ben chat with their mates down the pub about how little men know about the causes of male infertility. They meet with one of the UK’s leading experts for a step-by-step guide to sperm, learn how infertility affects masculinity from a GB Olympic rower, and consider how their fertility struggles could impact on their family, and their girlfriends, in the long term.