TV: Rhod Gilbert puts male infertility centre stage

Men are great, and don’t let anyone tell you any differently.

Us chaps have an aptitude for lots of things, things like soldering, tutting at football fixtures and doing that thing where you U-turn a car with only one hand on the wheel.

Beyond that we could use a bit of work, eh lads?

Talking about things that make us upset isn’t a talent men seem to naturally possess, instead choosing to confront our worries by going to B&Q to look at caulking supplies and sheds.

Any effort to get men to talk about these things is to be welcomed, then, and Rhod Gilbert has made an effort with Stand Up To Infertility.

Rhod has based an entire stand-up tour on the fact his sperm has low motility.

Or, as the Welsh funnyman puts it, “senile swimmers in need of Zimmers”.

Rhod gamely gathers men in a pub to talk about fertility issues, which is actually a big accomplishment.

After all, it’s an embarrassing topic to talk about for blokes, especially as society links being a dad to virility and success.

This was illustrated when Rhod spoke to poet Benjamin Zephaniah. He mentioned to a friend about his fertility problems; his friend suggested sending his wife over so he could get her pregnant.

The mystery of why men don’t open up about their feelings is a difficult one to crack, isn’t it?

Stand Up To Infertility BBC2