What's Up Docs?

Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Katherine Whitcroft, ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Sheffield Children's Hospital and co-director of the Sheffield Chemosensory Research Lab.

Together, they hear what drew her to the nose, and further explore nasal polyps. They look at nose reshaping procedures, and the medical and aesthetic reasons behind them.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected]

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

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 the nose, an organ we use with every breath but rarely stop to think about.

Joined by Miss Katherine Whitcroft, ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Sheffield Children's Hospital and co-director of the Sheffield Chemosensory Research Lab, Chris and Xand explore how the nose is built and what it does for us, why we produce so much mucus and where it goes, and why our noses run when we cry or eat spicy food. The conversation also covers how our sense of smell changes across our lives, the most common things that go wrong with the nose, and what the evidence says about treatments such as nasal sprays.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected].

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about fevers with Dr Catherine Houlihan, consultant in clinical virology and infectious diseases at University College London Hospitals.

They find out about her work as a consultant in infection at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory, UK Health Security Agency and what to do if you develop a fever after travelling abroad.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected].

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

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 examine fevers. They ask how and why our body sometimes turns up the dial on its internal thermostat, and what, if anything, we should do about it.

To help them answer these questions, they are joined by Dr Catherine Houlihan, a consultant in clinical virology and infectious diseases at University College London Hospitals. She is also a consultant in infection at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory, UK Health Security Agency.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected]

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Professors Marc Andersen and Mathias Clasen.

Together, they explore the work Marc and Mathias do at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark. Chris and Xand also uncover the different types of horror fans, and how Marc and Mathias would design the perfect, haunted house.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected].

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

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 recreational fear - the kind we experience when we actively seek out things that make us afraid, for pleasure!

Joined by Professors Marc Andersen and Mathias Clasen, co-directors of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark, they explore what recreational fear is, and what happens in the body when we experience it. Chris and Xand also find out what the different forms of recreational fear are, and what might compel us to seek our fear for fun.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected].

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about osteoarthritis with Professor Tonia Vincent, Director of the Centre for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis and professor of musculoskeletal biology at University of Oxford.

They talk more about what happens inside the joints when you have arthritis, how Tonia got into this line of study, and why this area of medicine is in the process of transformation and how this may lead to changes in other areas of medicine.

If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected].

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

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 look into the incredibly common joint disease, osteoarthritis. Known as the wear and tear disease, around a sixth of the population suffers from a form of osteoarthritis but why do most of us get it? And what can we do to manage it?

To help answer these questions they are joined by Professor Tonia Vincent, Director of the Centre for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis and professor of musculoskeletal biology at University of Oxford.

If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected].

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

In this Doctor's Notes episode of What's Up Docs?, Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation with Professor Tess McPherson, Consultant Dermatologist at Oxford University Hospitals.

Together, they explore the emotional side of acne, discussing why a visible skin condition can have such a profound effect on confidence and mental health. They look at how social media, filtered images and skincare influencers have shaped expectations around "perfect skin", and whether there is a particular stigma attached to adult acne. The conversation also turns to skincare treatment.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at [email protected].

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

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 acne, a condition that affects most people at some point in their lives, yet remains surrounded by myths and misinformation.

Joined by Professor Tess McPherson, Consultant Dermatologist at Oxford University Hospitals, they explore what causes acne, why it is so common during the teenage years, and why it can continue well into adulthood. The conversation also covers the treatments available, from over-the-counter products to prescription medicines, including what the evidence tells us about their benefits and risks.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected]

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

At the BBC:

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4