44-year-old comedian and actor Miles Jupp recalls the horrific seizure he suffered on the set of his final TV role, which led to his diagnosis of a brain tumor.
The actor, who starred in TV hits Rev, Balamory and The Thick Of It alongside 2023 blockbusters Harry Potter and Napoleon, filmed the ITV drama Trigger in August 2021 Point” when he suffered a seizure.
“I was filming something, which was very lucky because it meant I was in a city and there were paramedics on set. “I just knew something was really, really wrong,” he told Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe on the Parenting Hell podcast.
“I just knew it so much that the runner said to me, “You look really dizzy,” and I just said to him, “I need a doctor.”
Comedian and actor Miles Jupp recalls the horrific seizure he suffered on the set of his final TV role, which led to his diagnosis of a brain tumor
“At some point in the vision there was a kind of explosion, like a kaleidoscope, and then I remember the ground coming towards me very quickly and you were in and out of consciousness for a while.”
He recalled not being afraid at the time, but after being taken to hospital and undergoing a scan, “it was absolutely as frightening as you can imagine.”
Miles recounted how his wife Rachel, with whom he has five children, was on the bus with their children when a producer from Trigger Point called her.
“He had to call my wife and say your husband loves you very much, but he's in an ambulance on the way to the hospital and she was with the kids.” So she just said, “Look, Dad's not feeling very well, He’s probably fine.”
Miles underwent surgery a few weeks after the attack to remove the benign tumor. However, he admits that the period between diagnosis and surgery was quiet as he and his family “kind of tried to get along.”
Six weeks after the operation he was back at work, filming one day a week with his close friend Frankie Boyle for his weekly show New Old Order.
“One surgeon said, among other things, 'The way to get back to normal is to live a normal life as quickly as possible,'” Miles explained, adding that returning to everyday life with his children helped his recovery tremendously.
“It’s actually a good thing that people need you because you play yourself.”
The actor, who starred in TV hits Rev, Balamory and The Thick Of It, was filming ITV drama Trigger Point in August 2021 when he suffered a seizure (pictured in the show).
Miles underwent surgery to remove the benign tumor a few weeks after the attack and was able to return to work six weeks later (pictured in June 2023).
“It was really good to be able to take the kids to school straight after the surgery.”
Miles also returned to work on “Trigger Point” and re-voiced the scene that had been filmed an hour before his seizure, an experience he describes as “really surreal.”
He described how in the original scene, “I blinked a lot and thought, 'Gosh, I wonder if this is a symptom.'
Miles' experiences are the subject of his latest stand-up show, On I Bang, which is currently touring the UK.
His Balamory co-star Kim Tserkezie, 50, had a sweet reunion with Miles as he took his show to her hometown of Newcastle this week.
Kim posted a photo on He's on tour at the moment, visit him if you can.'
What is a benign brain tumor? And how can you live with that?
A benign brain tumor is a mass of noncancerous cells that grows relatively slowly.
Benign brain tumors tend to stay in one place and not spread.
If the tumor can be completely removed in surgery, it usually does not come back.
If not, there is a risk that it will grow back.
Although brain tumors grow slowly, space in the skull is limited and the brain takes up most of it.
Over time, the mass can grow into the spinal cord or press on surrounding nerves.
Treatment may not be necessary if the tumor is growing in a controlled manner.
Surgery can also damage the nerves surrounding the tumor, and patients are at risk of stroke and swelling if the mass is removed.
Controlled doses of radiation, such as Other treatments, such as gamma knife treatment, can target a hard-to-reach tumor without damaging surrounding tissue.