Rhod Gilbert reveals his life after cancer is "a constant ongoing journey" that he is now in a different part of

It’s just carnage – tennis balls, ripped toys, bits of rope, socks with holes in the end. This is because we [Gilbert and his wife, writer and comedian Sian Harries] have two miniature labradoodles, three-year-old Picsen who I did Wagging Rights with, and a 13-year-old who is slowing down and wouldn’t have been up for it.

What have you enjoyed watching among the carnage?

I’ve watched two documentaries, one on Dolly Parton and one on Sylvester Stallone. I’m fascinated by both of them, because they’re the absolute opposite of me, with zero drive or ambition. I wanted the world to swallow me up, and if you could have given me some invisible ink, I would’ve drunk it and disappeared. So, I’m interested in those who have the confidence to take on the world and win.

Who controls the remote?

I wouldn’t say anybody controls it. It’s democratic. We used to spend our time in Blockbuster Video, standing there for an hour wondering what to watch. Now, we just do it in our own living room.

What inspired you to take part in Wagging Rights?

I’ve always been quite careful about what I do, but this seemed like it was going to be really fun. And it was, but training a dog is considerably harder than I thought. I asked one of the dog trainers how much training we were expected to do. He said, “About three hours a day?” I laughed in his face, but that’s probably not far off what we did.

How did it change your relationship with Picsen?

My wife says that Picsen was her dog, and now she’s mine. She’s exaggerating, but it brought us closer together. Picsen’s a lovely dog, and she’s very eager to please. When we started, she couldn’t even sit. It’s not her fault, we hadn’t trained her – she’s our second dog and we didn’t bother – so I had no idea what she was capable of. I was blindsided by her willingness to learn and how much fun she had.

How does appearing in a show like Wagging Rights compare with other work?

I think you’re more yourself than you are on a panel show or hosting or stand-up. Having said that, once TV cameras start rolling, I think you inevitably become something slightly exaggerated.

A couple of years ago, you made a documentary about your cancer diagnosis and treatment. How has that experience influenced your choice of work?

If you’d asked me six months ago, I was feeling very much like, “This could be the last few years of my life, so I’ll step back from work, focus more on family and friends, and enjoy myself.” Now I’m coming out of that, but if I was picky before, I’m probably even more picky now, just a bit more aware of how valuable time is.

Was making the documentary to help other people or was it for you as well?

Both. I hoped it would help other people, and also that it would give me something else to think about other than just lying ill in bed. Looking back, that was unbelievably naive. Having a camera crew in the room with you when you’re about to find out whether the cancer’s gone or not makes no difference. Since then, I’ve been on tour for two years talking about cancer every night, I’m still a patron of the hospital where I was treated, and I’ll be walking for charity in Morocco next year. So cancer is very much a part of my life now; it’s a constant ongoing journey that I am now in a different part of.

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Wagging Rights is on Sunday at 8pm on U&Dave and U&W.

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