Canadian Comedian Irwin Barker "Stands Up" to Cancer in the CTV Original Documentary, That's My Time, September 27

-- Corner Gas creator Brent Butt among Canadian comics who appear in CTV Original Documentary to support Irwin Barker --

-- Can't Stop Laughing, a one-hour stand-up comedy special featuring Barker's last stop on his comedy tour, premieres on the same night on The Comedy Network at 10 p.m. ET/PT -

Toronto, ON (September 15, 2008) - You have just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given one year to live - what do you do? If you are Canadian comic icon Irwin Barker, you set out on a courageous and inspirational cross-country comedy fundraiser tour for cancer research. Hot on the heels of the recent historic television fundraiser Stand Up To Cancer, the new CTV Original Documentary That's My Time: A Comedian's Stand Up to Cancer premieres Saturday, September 27 at 7 p.m. ET on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local listings). Shot by award-winning Halifax filmmaker Adamm Liley, That's My Time chronicles the past year of Barker's journey with cancer, revealing a man's determination to find hope and humour in the gravest of human situations.

The documentary is followed by the one-hour stand-up special capturing Barker's final gig on his cross-country tour, Can't Stop Laughing, airing later the same night at 10 p.m. ET/PT on The Comedy Network. An encore presentation of That's My Time airs Sunday, September 28 at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo!

** Media Note ** - Download photos from That's My Time at ctvmedia.ca.

Though he's one of the best-loved comedy writers and comedians in all of Canada, most people have probably never heard of Irwin Barker. But in the comedy clubs, writers' rooms and comedy festivals of Canada, he is a living legend and comedy institution.

When diagnosed with terminal cancer in June 2007, Barker was determined that the deadly disease wouldn't stop him from doing the one thing he does best - making people laugh. In his hilarious stand-up performances from Halifax to Vancouver, he makes it clear that people should not feel sorry for him. From his witty banter about how he no longer shops at Costco because "who's going to take all that toilet paper?" when he's gone, to his wondering why some regular hack "couldn't get cancer because now everyone will steal his jokes when he goes," Barker never fails to take a funny jab at his own mortality.

Through candid interviews with Barker, his family and some of Canada's most recognized comedic personalities - including Brent Butt, Rick Mercer and Peter Kelamis- a courageous and humourous approach to living in the face of adversity is revealed. After all, you can't tell a four time Gemini-nominated comic that he's dying and not expect him to find a laugh in that!

Filmed in an intense vérité style, That's My Time strikes a delicate balance between humour and sadness, optimism and despair. Through Barker's unique perspective, it is not a film about dying, but rather about the strength and resilience of the human condition and a celebration of life; he transforms what is often the joyless process of treatment and recovery and infuses it with laughter. It is a hilarious journey through the least funny situation imaginable as he raises eyebrows, money and awareness from coast to coast.

The last stop on Irwin's tour in Vancouver is one of his most memorable, as it is the culmination of 12 months of performing across the country. The one-hour stand-up special Can't Stop Laughing captures this hilarious performance, airing following the documentary on Saturday, September 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on The Comedy Network.

That's My Time: A Comedian's Stand Up to Cancer is written and directed by award-winning producer Adamm Liley, and is produced in association with CTV Inc. Bob Culbert is Vice-President of CTV Documentaries. Robert Hurst is President of CTV News and Current Affairs. Susanne Boyce is President, Content, Creative and Channels, CTV Inc.

CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It has the number-one national newscast, CTV National News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTVglobemedia Inc. is Canada's premier multi-media company which owns CTV Inc. and The Globe and Mail. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country, and leading national specialty channels. Other CTVglobemedia investments include an interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and in Dome Productions, a North American leader in the provision of mobile high definition production facilities. More information about CTV may be found on the company website at www.ctv.ca.