My Dead Body: What is the real-life post mortem programme?

My Dead Body, a groundbreaking medical documentary, is due to air on Channel 4 tonight showing the dissection of a mum-of-two which is narrated in her own words.

Toni Crews was the first person in the UK to elect to donate her body for public display, and this film is the first time a dissection has been captured on TV of a named donor.

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Crews tells the story of her illness with cancer before and after her death, narrated by her own words, which is intended to educate viewers on the science of cancer and its journey through the human body.

She was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the tear gland in 2016, leading to her eye being removed, and was told her cancer was terminal in 2020.

Crews died in August 2020 aged 30, having decided to donate her body to medical science and have it put on display after she passed away.

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She became the first person to choose for her body to be put on public display since records began 180 years ago and was determined to continue to educate people about her disease.

Professor Claire Smith, head of anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said: “We have been so privileged to explore the journey of cancer through the incredible donation made by Toni. As part of this documentary, we were able to invite more than 1,000 students, including nurses, paramedics and neuroscientists, who wouldn’t normally get to learn about this one in a million cancer.

“Toni’s gift of body donation doesn’t end with this documentary either; her body will be used to educate our medical students and doctors for years to come.”

My Dead Body also includes home video footage of Crews and interviews with her family, as well as using her social media posts and letters to her children to give viewers an idea of who she was.

Cutting edge voice replication techniques are used to create Crews' voice for the narration.

My Dead Body airs tonight at 10pm on Channel 4.