About the show
Meet Dick and Steve
One of us has had his prostate out. The other still has his. We've been mates for years, and this is a conversation we think more people should be having.
Between A Cock And A Hard Place is a prostate cancer podcast about the personal side of diagnosis, treatment and life afterwards. There are jokes. There are uncomfortable details. And there's room to say you're worried.
Richard "Dick" Gorman
Co-host, sharing lived experience
Dick was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 54. Eighteen years on and in good health, he brings that first-hand experience to the microphone. He talks about the appointments, the surgery, the catheter and the effect on sex without pretending any of it was especially dignified.
He had fitted in a few lives before the diagnosis. Advertising, taxi driving, taking Contiki groups through Europe and running boat charters in the south of France all featured. So did three years of stand-up comedy, including appearances at the Comedy Stores in London and Hollywood. Steve remains unconvinced that this proves anything.
Dick also built a pharmacy finance business from a terrace in Sydney's Surry Hills. His work is in finance, not clinical care. Outside work, he enjoys golf and walking, has climbed Kilimanjaro, and divides his time between Sydney and Tasmania with his partner, Marzena Rybak. He has a son and a daughter.
He met Steve through business. The business relationship became a friendship, and eventually this podcast. Dick's reason for doing it is simple: if talking openly about what happened to him helps someone start a difficult conversation, it's worth getting behind a microphone.
Dr Stephen Van Mil
Co-host and veterinary surgeon
Steve is a veterinary surgeon, conservationist and filmmaker. His professional work is with animals. On this podcast, he's Dick's mate and the bloke asking the next question. He isn't here as a human-medicine doctor or to tell you which treatment to have.
His career has taken him into television, radio and print, and through Borneo, Africa and the Amazon leading ecotours. He's walked the Kokoda Track twice. In 2020, he founded Wildlife Recovery Australia, working to support wildlife hospitals and sanctuaries in Australia.
Away from that work, Steve enjoys live music, hiking, travel and reading. Cricket, rugby and horseracing get a fair share of his attention too, along with time with his son and daughter.
Dick has been his mate and sparring partner for three decades. Dick thinks he's funny. Steve keeps turning up anyway.
Stephen still has a prostate.
Why we're doing this
It's easy to make a joke and change the subject when something feels awkward. We make the joke, then keep talking.
The show follows Dick's experience and the questions that came with it: what happens at the specialist, what recovery was like, and how you talk about leaking, erections and relationships. Partners and families belong in that conversation too.
Dick's outcome is his own. Someone else's experience may be very different. You don't need to feel cheerful about it, and you don't need to have all the right words before talking to your doctor.
What you can expect from us
You'll hear personal experience and opinions in the recordings. Our written guides distinguish those stories from sourced health information. We link to the organisations behind the information, explain significant corrections and name people honestly.
How we prepare the content · Notes and corrections · Find Australian cancer information
Start with episode 1