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PODCAST

What"s Up Docs?

In this BBC Radio 4 podcast, Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves.Although they are identical twins, Chris and Xand are very different and they never stop thinking and arguing about science and health. They want to lead healthy, happy lives and as doctors, they want this for everyone. Yet they tussle over how best to get there.When it comes to looking after our own health, it can be confusing. Medicine and science produce amazing new treatments

health & fitness nature

All Episodes

28:41

How hydrated should you really be?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/08/04

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.In this episode they’re exploring hydration. We’ve all heard we should be drinking eight glasses of water a day, but does it hold up? Chris and Xand look at what water actually does in the body and how we regulate fluid.They also separate fact from fiction on the hydration beliefs and trends that are everywhere right now. Does drinking more water

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27:07

Doctors' Notes: Bad Advice

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/07/28

Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Professor Sunita Sah about why humans follow advice they suspect, or even know, is bad.They explore what first drew Sunita to this area of research, alongside her own experiences of following advice she knew she should probably question. Together, they unpack the psychology behind why rejecting advice can feel so uncomfortable, and why intelligence or expertise doesn’t necessarily protect people from poor decisions.If you’d like to share

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29:14

Why do we follow bad advice?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/07/28

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.In this episode, they discuss a behaviour almost everyone recognises - following advice we suspect is bad, or even know is wrong. So why do we do it?From medicine and wellness culture to friendships and everyday life, Chris and Xand unpack the psychology behind why bad advice can be so hard to resist. They consider how authority, confidence and

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20:56

Doctors' Notes: Eyes

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/07/21

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about eyes with Mr Raj Das-Bhaumik.The doctors want to know what particular things we should be doing to look after our eyes in the summer, including how to protect them while swimming or spending time outdoors. They're also curious about dry eye, a common condition that could affect over half of the UK population, and how to manage it, as well as other eye conditions like glaucoma and cataracts and how they are particularly affected in the summer months.If

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29:12

How can you look after your eyes?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/07/21

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.In this episode, Chris and Xand van Tulleken discuss eyes and how to check and protect them. From finding a proper pair of sunglasses to mythbusting common beliefs about eyes, the twins explore the intricacies of an organ that can often be overlooked, especially if you’ve never needed glasses. To help navigate the maze of online

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20:02

Doctors' Notes: AI Medicine

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/07/14

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about AI medicine with Dr Emma Karoune.The docs explore how AI has been used in cutting edge medical research, such as to create digital models of the heart to enable instant alerts to a doctor. They want to know about AI for pattern recognition and how this can be used in determining changes in scans or predicting pandemic. They also want to know more about how ambient AI can be useful to doctors and how data science enables the development of AI

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28:50

What can AI medicine do for you?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/07/14

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.Can AI empower better self-care and clinical practice, or is it just more health noise? Most of us have fallen down a search engine rabbit hole only to emerge more confused about our symptoms than when we started. But as we enter the era of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, the landscape of medical

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58:54

Doctors' Notes: Lungs Special at Crossed Wires Festival

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/07/07

In this extended episode of What's Up Docs?, Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Professor Robin Condliffe.Together, they explore how our understanding of the lungs has evolved over time, from early theories about breathing to the breakthroughs that transformed modern respiratory medicine.They also examine why lung health is shaped by more than biology alone. From air pollution and housing quality to poverty and access to healthcare, they discuss the social and environmental

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28:11

How can we look after our amazing lungs?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/07/07

Welcome to What's Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.In this episode, recorded live at Crossed Wires Festival in Sheffield, they are joined by Professor Robin Condliffe, Consultant Respiratory Physician at Royal Hallamshire Hospital.Together, they explore the extraordinary science of the lungs: how they work, how they keep us alive, and what happens when they start to go wrong. From asthma, COPD and

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21:02

Doctors’ Notes: Heart Palpitations

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/30

Chris and Xand van Tulleken take a deeper dive into heart palpitations and the rise of wearable technology.With devices like smartwatches now able to detect irregular heart rhythms, more people are being alerted to potential problems, often without any symptoms. But is this early detection saving lives, or creating new challenges?Joined again by Consultant Cardiologist Dr Pranev Sharma, the docs explore how wearables actually work, how accurate they are, and what happens when they flag something

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28:32

What are your heart palpitations telling you?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/30

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.In this episode, they turn their attention to heart palpitations. That sudden flutter, skipped beat or racing heart can feel alarming, but what’s actually going on, and when should you be concerned?They break down what palpitations are, what causes them, and what’s happening in the heart when you feel them. From everyday triggers like stress and

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30:59

Doctors’ Notes: Body Odour

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/23

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about body odour with Matthew Cobb, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Manchester.They explore whether it’s possible to predict how someone experiences an odour based on their DNA, and how our sense of smell compares to that of other animals.Many people lost their sense of smell during the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing greater awareness to just how central this sense is to our everyday lives. They discuss the role that smelling ourselves and

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28:46

What does my body odour say about my health?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/23

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they explore something that affects every one of us - body odour. Body odour plays a significant role in our emotional and social lives, and even in our health. Chris and Xand explore what body odour actually is, where it comes from, and why it varies so much from person to person. They also examine the many ways we try to mask our

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48:42

Doctors’ Notes: Healthy Longevity Special at Hay...

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/16

This extended episode of What's Up Docs? features Chris and Xand van Tulleken's full live conversation with Professor Devi Sridhar at Hay Festival.Going deeper than the main episode, they explore the tension between individual responsibility and structural change, and why asking "how do I stay healthy?" might be the wrong question altogether. Devi draws on her work across governments and health systems worldwide to examine what genuinely moves the needle on population health. Chris and Xand also ask

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28:12

How to Live Healthier for Longer

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/16

Welcome to What's Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.In this episode, recorded live at Hay Festival, they're joined by Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, to ask how we can live longer, healthier lives. They dig into the difference between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, and why the latter is falling in places like the UK. Devi unpacks the

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22:57

Doctors' Notes: Friendship

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/09

Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about friendship with Dr Tiffany Watt Smith, writer and culture historian.Tiffany became interested in researching friendships after a moment of crisis in her own friendships. Together, Chris, Xand and Tiffany discuss the difference between male and female friendships and how that has changed over time. They explore the idea that we are living through a friendship recession and what that means for our social connections. And they look at

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28:51

Are friends good for your health?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/09

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where identical twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.In this episode, the Docs take a look at the impact our friendships have on our physical health. Why different friendship styles are important and how we can maintain and nurture our social connections. Joining them is Dr Tiffany Watt Smith, a writer and cultural historian interested in the histories of emotion and medicine. If you

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17:45

Doctors' Notes: Male Contraception

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/02

Chris and Xand van Tulleken take a deeper dive into male contraception with Professor Richard Anderson.They explore why, despite decades of research, new male contraceptive options are still limited. From funding gaps to shifting attitudes, they unpack the social and scientific barriers that have shaped progress so far.They also look at how people feel about the idea of male contraception, whether those attitudes are changing, and what it could mean for relationships if new options become

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28:46

Is a male contraceptive pill closer than you think?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/06/02

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.In this episode, they turn their attention to male contraception. We’ve been hearing about a “male pill” for decades, so why don’t we have one yet? They break down how male fertility works, what options currently exist, and the different approaches scientists are exploring, from hormonal gels to non-hormonal treatments.They also look at the

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14:39

Doctors' Notes: Lymphatic System

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/05/26

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about the lymphatic system with Professor Kristiana Gordon, a Consultant in Dermatology and Lymphovascular Medicine.The docs ask about the growing field of lymphoedema research and how our understanding of the lymphatic system has developed in recent years. They also explore primary lymphoedema, a condition caused by genetic errors that can affect children and young people, and ask what advances in understanding its underlying causes might mean for the

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