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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

25:35

Drs' Notes: How can we manage chronic pain?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/10/06

Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Dr Cathy Stannard, clinical lead of the pain transformation programme at NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and the clinical lead for the NICE guideline on chronic pain. Together, they take a closer look at chronic pain, exploring what happens when pain persists beyond the original injury. The conversation also explores how chronic pain is treated. They discuss why medical treatments that work well for acute pain may be less

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29:17

How can we better understand pain?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/10/06

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 pain - one of the most familiar, yet least understood, experiences of being human.Joined by Dr Cathy Stannard, clinical lead of the pain transformation programme at NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and the clinical lead for the NICE guideline on chronic pain, they explore what happens in the

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18:27

Doctors' Notes: Sleep Disorders

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/10/01

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about sleep disorders with Dr Sophie West, a consultant respiratory physician and lead of Newcastle regional sleep service.They explore what good sleep hygiene looks like and how temperature and hydration can affect our sleep. They also dig into dreams: why we have them, whether we can control them, and how to stop recurrent nightmares.If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at

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27:45

Drs' Notes: Why did neurodiversity evolve?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/29

Drs Chris and Xand continue their conversation about neurodiversity with Professor Duncan Astle.The doctors want to know what evolution could say about neurodivergence, how the definition of neurodivergent conditions has changed over time, how modern societal structures interact with neurodivergence and what could be changed, how social media interacts with neurodiversity, what we can all do to understand and empathise with neurodiversity. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other

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28:14

How can we better understand neurodiversity?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/29

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.What is neurodiversity really? It's a term we hear a lot, but do we actually understand what it means?In this episode, Chris and Xand van Tulleken break down the concept of neurodiversity. From discussing diagnosis to discovering how to rethink the narrative around neurodiversity, the twins explore the facts behind one of the most

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24:15

Drs' Notes: How do athletes look after their ankles?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/22

Chris and Xand continue their conversation about ankle health with Genevieve Tawiah.The doctors want to know how different sports and performance arts can impact your ankles, but also how they can help strengthen and protect such a unique set of joints. They also want to know about different conditions that might affect the ankle and what can be done to manage them, and to learn more about Gen’s experiences working as a performance physiotherapist for a wide range of athletes and performers. If

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28:34

How can you better look after your ankles?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/22

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, they discuss ankles and how to best strengthen and protect them - from uncovering the biology behind one of the most heavily stressed parts of the body, to discussing tips and tricks for strengthening your ankles, preventing injury or managing existing issues. Chris and Xand are joined by Genevieve Tawiah, a

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31:00

Do you have ADHD? (from Complex with Kimberley Wilson)

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/18

Today we’re sharing an episode from our sister podcast, Complex with Kimberley Wilson.In the episode, Kimberley asks CBT therapist Joshua Munn about the symptoms of ADHD and how to recognise it. He has lived experience of the condition and explains some of the ways he manages it.In Complex, Kimberley Wilson, chartered psychologist, is on a mission to sift through all the information and misinformation that’s out there around our mental health to help create more self-awareness and understanding. She

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30:49

Doctors' Notes: Type 2 Diabetes

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/15

Chris and Xand van Tulleken take a deeper dive into type 2 diabetes and the bigger factors shaping one of the world's most common health conditions.Joined by Dr Tamara Hibbert, they explore why type 2 diabetes rates are rising, the role of inequality and deprivation, and why some communities are disproportionately affected.They also discuss how type 2 diabetes treatment has evolved, how important group consultations are in treating the condition, and what can happen when type 2 diabetes is not

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29:01

How can we better understand type 2 diabetes?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/15

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 type 2 diabetes. To understand this condition, they start with the basics: what blood sugar actually is, why our bodies need it, and how it is normally kept under control. They explore where blood sugar comes from, what healthy levels look like, and what happens when those levels become too high.They

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28:08

How to Spot a Sleep Disorder

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/08

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, they dig into sleep disorders, including insomnia, restless leg syndrome and parasomnias, which include sleepwalking, sleep talking, and night terrors. They explore what it means to have healthy sleep. Joining them is Dr Sophie West, a consultant respiratory physician and lead of Newcastle regional sleep service,

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21:04

Doctors' Notes: Routine

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/01

Doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken are back with a bonus episode, continuing their conversation on routines with Bas Verplanken, Professor Emeritus of Social Psychology at the University of Bath.They take a deeper look at how our routines influence our behaviour - do they matter more than our attitudes and beliefs? They also want to know whether routines help or hinder creativity and how our age and social roles shape the routines we form.If you want to get in touch, you can email us at

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28:37

Should you get back into a routine?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/09/01

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 to routines. With many families heading back to school and September still feeling like a reset for a lot of us, there's no shortage of advice on building the perfect routine, or optimising the ones we have. But are routines actually good for our health and wellbeing? And when, if ever, is breaking one a good thing?To help

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18:54

Doctors' Notes: Walking

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/08/25

Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about walking with Professor Steve Haake.Recording in Sheffield's Botanical Gardens, they discuss how why creating opportunities for walking can have benefits far beyond physical health and how Steve got into researching walking. Together, they also take a closer look at public health initiatives, such as parkrun – one of the UK's most successful examples – examining why it has proved so popular and what it can teach us about encouraging

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28:59

How does walking benefit you?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/08/25

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 while walking through Sheffield Botanical Gardens, they turn their attention to one of the simplest and most accessible forms of exercise - walking.Joined by Professor Steve Haake, Professor of Sport Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University and a leading expert on physical activity, they explore what happens in the body

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33:33

Doctors' Notes: Crying

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/08/18

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about crying with counselling psychologist Kimberley Wilson.They look at why people have different thresholds for crying, why other people’s tears can make some of us feel uncomfortable and how we can manage that. They also ask Kimberley why some people can’t cry. Chris is one of those people. What can he do about it? They also discuss how crying shows up in therapeutic settings. Can showing emotion validate someone else’s experience?If

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28:35

Is crying good for you?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/08/18

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 to something many of us are familiar with - crying. We cry with laughter, with sadness, and in moments of awe or overwhelm, but it can also be a surprisingly confusing part of our emotional lives. Some people welcome a good cry, while others rarely, if ever, shed tears. Why do we cry? Why do we sometimes feel better after

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19:37

Doctors' Notes: Relaxation

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/08/11

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about relaxation with philosopher and author Julian Baggani.They look at the history of relaxation, the activities we have chosen to do in order to switch off and how that has changed over the years. They also look at whether relaxation has become commodified and what that might mean for our ability to do it successfully.If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, please email us at

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28:55

Why is it so hard to relax?

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/08/11

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 look at relaxation. We are all aware that relaxation has an importance in our lives, when things get too much we book holidays and time off work. But what does it actually mean to relax and are the activities we chose actually allowing us to escape our stresses?To help answer these questions, they’re joined by philosopher and

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22:02

Doctors' Notes: Hydration

What"s Up Docs? ·

2026/08/04

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about hydration with Dr John Whittle, a consultant in anaesthesia, critical care and perioperative medicine at University College Hospitals and an honorary associate professor at University College London.Most of the time our bodies are brilliant at regulating fluid but what happens when that process gets disrupted by illness, stress or ageing? And crucially, what can we do about it?If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other

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