Alexander Armstrong fast-tracked an episode of ‘Pointless’ so that a cancer-stricken contestant could watch it before she died.
The TV host acted swiftly when a family friend of 38-year-old Lucy Booth from Cheshire – who unbeknownst to bosses was battling breast cancer – wrote to him and begged for the show to air quickly because her disease had advanced and she was at risk of dying before seeing her shining moment.
Alexander and compassionate TV executives sped up the production process and managed to make a special DVD of the episode for Lucy – who teamed up with her mum Jackie on the show – and got it to her before cancer claimed her life last month.
The letter to the kind-hearted presenter was written by Lucy and Jackie’s friend Sue Winter and said: "I beg you from the bottom of my heart, Lucy is amazing and is fighting as hard as she can but her options are dwindling fast.
"Lucy has really not let it take over her life. Last year when she and her mum went to London to film the show they had a wonderful experience.
"I’m afraid that the cancer is now fighting back with extra ground troops deployed throughout Lucy’s body. She is now very poorly.
"Please Alexander can you make some calls and have the Booth girls episode shown much sooner than that so that Lucy will be able to watch it?"
Lucy managed to watch her small screen moment, which has since aired on TV, two weeks before she took her final breath.
Speaking to the Mirror Online, Sue said: "Lucy did get to watch it…. Lucy and Jackie watched it together two weeks before she passed away."
Lucy – who lived in London – died on August 9 in a hospice with her mum and dad Alan by her side.
The full episode aired on BBC One on Wednesday (14.09.16) and viewers were shocked to learn of Lucy’s death when a tribute flashed across the screen during the closing credits.