Some of the UK’s biggest comedians, actors, writers and politicians have featured in a campaign video aimed at preventing NHS privatization.

The ‘Your NHS Needs You’ video, run by the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25), the famous faces explain what the NHS means to them and what we can do to prevent NHS privatization.

55 famous faces have shown their support for the campaign, including Russell Brand, Jo Brand, Frankie Boyle and more.

One celebs who features in the video is Accrington actress, Julie Hesmondhalgh.

The former Coronation Street actress encourages viewers to visit the Your NHS needs you website for “some handy tips, to join the fight and to make sure that our wonderful health service stays properly funded and publicly owned”.

In the past, Julie has been very vocal about her views on NHS privatisation. In 2017, she urged people to vote labour in the general elections, rallying people to vote for them to “save our NHS”.

At the start of the pandemic in 2020 she asked people to “cheer” for the NHS heroes but also to “roar with rage” at the government for “putting profit before people.”

She wasn’t the only celebrity to feature in the ‘Your NHS Needs You’ video campaign. .

David Tennant said the NHS saved his life when he was 10 and his appendix burst and that NHS staff also saved his daughter’s life.  

Stephen Fry said: “American corporations are embedding themselves in our NHS and this is a really dangerous and very, very worrying turn of events.

“I’ve seen what a nightmare, if you can call it that, is in America. A real nightmare. And the idea of that infecting our NHS is like the idea of a new pandemic.

“That kind of infection would destroy and compromise the health service that we have grow to depnd on, to love, and to be incredibly proud of.”

Comedian, Ed Byrne, added that his little brother had his life saved by the NHS.

He explained: “He has Hodgkin’s lymphoma and they gave him chemotherapy for it.

“The great thing was, because it was the NHS he didn’t have to open a rolling meth lab in order to pay for his treatment.”

What is the aim of the ‘Your NHS Needs You Campaign’?

The aim of the movement is to stop the Health Bill and renationalize the NHS.

The Health and Care bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons on 14 July, is expected to enter the next stage of its passage on 9 November.

The bill will divide the NHS in England into 42 areas, called Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), each with its own budget and a board to oversee the delivery of health services for the area.

A spokesperson said: Now, public health experts are sounding the alarm that the current Health and Care Bill is likely to be the nail in the coffin for our public health service.

“They are warning that the bill will pave the way for the English NHS to be replaced by the profit-driven American system, in which private health providers are incentivised to cut and deny care to increase profits.”

They list five things that people can do to save the NHS. They are:

  1. Sign and share the petition
  2. Email your MP
  3. Tweet politicians
  4. Donate to defend the NHS
  5. Alert your friends.

For more information, visit the Your NHS Needs You website.

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