OLIVER CALLAN HAS said that he had to take time off from his RTÉ Radio 1 programme to undergo surgery for skin cancer. 

The comedian, who took over the station’s 9am slot from former host Ryan Tubridy at the end of January, said he was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma and had to have surgery to remove it. 

Basal cell carcinoma is a non-melanoma skin cancer that usually develops in the outer layer of skin.

According to the HSE, it usually appears as a small, shiny pink or white lump which grows slowly and can develop into an ulcer. Almost two in three skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma.

Speaking on his return to The Nine O’Clock Show this morning, Callan told listeners: “It’s good to be back.”

He thanked presenter Maura Derrane for presenting the show “for about nine days there, at short notice, and doing it really well”.

“I’d gone off for a very minor procedure which I’d thought would just put me off-air for two days, but it turned out to be a longer spell,” Callan said. 

“Like thousands of us out there with our Irish skin, I got one of those mild skin cancers – basal cell carcinoma.

“It doesn’t spread to your body so it’s not that scary, but it has to be surgically removed and mine is located on the face, which is a precious place when suddenly, someone comes at you with a scalpel, just between the edge of my nose and the corner of my lip.”

He said the surgery meant that he couldn’t talk property and was told not to laugh out loud for at least two weeks “or I’d end up with a nasty scar”. 

“Fortunately there wasn’t a lot to smile about while I was gone with all the American carnage and all that trouble over the immigration element of our housing disaster,” Callan continued.

“But look, I’m back now, I did lots of research work for the show and I read some upcoming books with authors that we’ll be meeting over the rest of the summer.

“I’ve also started growing a moustache because I can’t shave at the scar yet, so as a result I look something like an inept sidekick of a provincial detective in a 1980s Sunday night TV drama. That’s the look I’m going for.”