Channel 4 viewers moved to tears by 'My Dead Body' documentary

Channel 4 last night broadcast a fascinating yet poignant documentary, My Dead Body, which left many viewers in tears.

The poignant show followed the life, death and autopsy of Toni Crews, a mother-of-two who lost her life to a rare form of cancer in 2020 at the age of 30.

Crews marked the first person in the UK who donated her body for public display and dissection to raise awareness.

The film shared the story of her illness, using Crews' own words from diaries and letters, with her parents being prominent features in the show. They were keen to remain in contact with the scientists to learn about the findings of the final dissection session in July 2022.

Over a thousand students were able to get close enough to witness the journey of the cancer. In Crews' abdomen alone, she had 100 small tumours, which were growing at a rapid pace before her death.

Viewers were left fascinated by the film, which showed a segment of medics opening Crews' brain to explore where the cancer was located.

Emotional viewers soon took to Twitter to express their admiration for Crews, hailing her as an "inspirational woman".

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

One started by thanking those who donate their body to science, adding: "And thank you to Toni Crews for doing something truly unique by allowing this to be shown to the wider audience".

Another added: "Watching My Dead Body and it’s so fascinating but honestly, how beautiful and brave was Toni. What a selfless gift she gave in her passing. Cancer is so so cruel. RIP Toni"

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

Professor Claire Smith, Head of Anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said: "We have been so privileged to explore the journey of cancer through the incredible donation made by Toni.

"As part of this documentary, we were able to invite more than 1,000 students, including nurses, paramedics and neuroscientists, who wouldn’t normally get to learn about this one-in-a-million cancer.

"Toni’s gift of body donation doesn’t end with this documentary either; her body will be used to educate our medical students and doctors for years to come."

You can now stream My Dead Body on All 4.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.