---
title: "What Jeremy Clarkson and Sir Chris Hoy Learned the Hard Way: 7 Health Checks for Movember"
description: Jeremy Clarkson and Sir Chris Hoy show why Movember is about more than moustaches. Seven health checks every man should book this November.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-01T00:38:44.967Z
updated: 2026-11-01T00:48:44.093Z
canonical: https://www.richmanmagazine.com/article/movember-health-checks-jeremy-clarkson-chris-hoy
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-32233857.webp
categories: Health & Strength
content_type: Guide
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

For the next 30 days, men across Britain will grow moustaches that their partners will tolerate, their colleagues will mock and their mothers will photograph. Movember runs from Sunday 1st November to Monday 30th November, and since a group of friends in Melbourne started it in 2003, it has become one of the best-known charity campaigns in the world.

The moustache is the easy part. Movember points out that men die nearly five years earlier than women, mostly from causes that can be prevented. The money raised goes to four of them: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

This year's campaign, 'Make a Growmitment', is built around doing it with a friend, and even Rick and Morty have grown moustaches for the launch film. You can grow a moustache, walk or run 60km over the month, host an event or set a challenge of your own, and friends and family sponsor you through a page on the [Movember website](https://uk.movember.com/). The 60km stands for the 60 men lost to suicide around the world every hour.

The fundraising ends on 30th November. The seven checks below are what you keep, and every one of them can be done before the moustache comes off.

## Book the NHS Health Check you have been putting off

If you are between 40 and 74 and live in England, you are entitled to a free [NHS Health Check](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/) every five years, as long as you do not already have heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease or high blood pressure. It takes about half an hour. A nurse measures your blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, asks how much you smoke, drink and move, and gives you a score for your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and kidney disease over the next ten years.

The invitation letter is easy to leave on the kitchen table. If you have not had a check in the last five years, call your GP surgery and ask for one. Blood pressure and cholesterol are two of the numbers in that score you can bring down.

## Have the PSA conversation with your GP

Sir Chris Hoy had no symptoms at all when he was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in September 2023, and a year later the six-time Olympic champion was told it was terminal. Since going public, he has hosted [charity bike rides in Glasgow](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/clarkson-helicopter-owners-10000-hoy-tour-de-4) that have raised more than £3 million, and he has said his inbox filled with messages from men who got tested after hearing his story.

Jeremy Clarkson's story shows the other outcome. He was diagnosed with an aggressive prostate cancer after getting tested, and the test caught it early. Surgeons removed part of his prostate, and in June 2026 he announced he was in remission. He has since urged every man to get checked, saying the test is neither uncomfortable nor undignified.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with about 55,000 new cases a year, and a diagnosis with no warning signs is a familiar story. The [PSA blood test](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/psa-testing/) measures a protein made by the prostate. A high reading can point to cancer, but it can also come from an enlarged prostate or an infection, and it can lead to further tests and biopsies you did not need.

In August 2026 the government withdrew the guidance that gave men over 50 a clear route to the test on request, and prostate cancer charities reacted with anger. You can still ask your GP for a PSA test, with or without symptoms. Your GP will go through your personal risk and the pros and cons of the test, and the two of you decide from there.

Your risk is higher once you are over 50, if you are Black or if prostate cancer runs in your family, and in those last two cases it is worth raising from 45. Walk in with one question written down: 'Given my age and family history, should I have a PSA test?'

## Learn what normal feels like

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in UK men aged 15 to 49, and one of the most treatable when it is found early. A monthly self-check is the simplest way to notice a change, and the [NHS website](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/testicular-cancer/) explains how to do one.

Your risk is higher if your father or brother has had it. If anything feels different, book a GP appointment. Most lumps turn out not to be cancer, and the appointment is how you find out. Pick a date you will remember, such as the first of every month, and the check becomes part of your routine.

## Post back the bowel cancer kit

Everyone aged 50 to 74 in England who is registered with a GP gets a free [bowel cancer home test kit](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-benefits-and-risks/nhs-bowel-cancer-screening-helping-you-decide) by post every two years, and Scotland and Wales also screen from 50. You take a small sample at home and send it back in the envelope provided. Out of every 100 people who return one, 97 or 98 need no further tests.

People in their 50s send back fewer kits than people in their 60s and 70s, and the kit is easy to push to the back of a drawer. If yours is sitting there, do it this weekend. If you are 75 or over in England, you can ask for a kit on 0800 707 60 60. If a friend turned 50 this year, ask him whether his has gone back. The question is awkward for about five seconds.

## Find out what runs in your family

Prostate cancer, testicular cancer, bowel cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes all run in families, and your family history changes what your GP will offer you. Sir Chris Hoy's father and grandfather had both been diagnosed with prostate cancer before him. Most men have only a vague idea of what their father, uncles and grandfathers were treated for.

Ask them directly and write the answers in your phone. A Movember dinner with your father or brothers is a good place to start, and the moustaches give everyone something to laugh about while you ask.

## Get your eyes tested

The NHS advises most adults to have an eye test every two years. An optometrist looks at the blood vessels at the back of your eye, and they can show early signs of diabetes and high blood pressure before you notice any change in your sight. If you cannot remember your last eye test, book one this month.

## Check in on your friends, and ask twice

Movember's Move challenge exists for the men lost to suicide, and it is the best excuse you will get all year to spend an hour a week [walking with a friend](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/loneliness-making-friends-midlife).

The broadcaster Roman Kemp lost his best friend, the producer Joe Lyons, to suicide in August 2020. He went on to make a BBC documentary about young men and suicide, spoke openly about his own long fight with depression, and has said that many of his conversations with friends about their mental health have taken place in the car. A long walk works the same way: you are side by side, nobody has to hold eye contact, and the conversation has room to go somewhere.

[Ask your friend how he is doing](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/wear-blue-international-men-s-health-week-and-the-conversations-that-change-everything). If he says 'fine', ask again, and mean it the second time. Listen more than you advise. If he tells you he is struggling, encourage him to speak to his GP and offer to sit with him while he makes the call.

If you need to talk to someone yourself, [Samaritans](https://www.samaritans.org/) answers on 116 123, free, at any hour of the day or night.

## Before the moustache comes off

By 30th November most of the moustaches will be gone, along with a month of jokes at your expense. A blood pressure reading, a PSA conversation, a posted kit and a monthly habit will last a great deal longer. Book the first one this week, and then tell a friend you have done it.

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: What is Movember?**
Movember is an annual charity campaign held every November, in which people grow moustaches, take on fitness challenges or host events to raise money for men's health. It began with a group of friends in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003 and now runs around the world, including the UK.

**Q: What is Movember for?**
Movember raises money and awareness for four areas of men's health: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. The money funds research, support services and programmes designed to help men live longer, healthier lives.

**Q: How does Movember work?**
You register on the Movember website and pick a challenge: growing a moustache, walking or running 60km during November, hosting an event or setting a challenge of your own. Friends, family and colleagues sponsor you through your personal fundraising page. You can also give a one-off or monthly donation without taking part.

**Q: What is the Movember 60km challenge?**
The Move challenge asks you to walk or run 60km at any point during November, either in one session or spread across the month. The 60km represents the 60 men who die by suicide around the world every hour, and the money raised supports mental health and suicide prevention work.