Podcast · Tech & Science

What's Up Docs?

by BBC Radio 4 · English · Tech & Science

New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 29 min
Latest: 6 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026 · 26 minNew

Drs' Notes: How can we manage chronic pain?

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 effective for chronic pain and the evidence for approaches such as psychological therapies and social…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E182 · 6 Oct 2026 · 29 minNew

How can we better understand pain?

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 body when we feel pain and why two people with seemingly identical injuries can experience very…
E181 · 1 Oct 2026 · 18 min

Doctors' Notes: Sleep Disorders

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 whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123. Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van…
E180 · 29 Sep 2026 · 28 min

Drs' Notes: Why did neurodiversity evolve?

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 topic covered on the podcast, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk . Presenters: Drs Chris…
E179 · 29 Sep 2026 · 28 min

How can we better understand neurodiversity?

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 talked about topics. Chris and Xand are joined by Professor Duncan Astle, Professor of…
E178 · 22 Sep 2026 · 24 min

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

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 you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us…
E177 · 22 Sep 2026 · 29 min

How can you better look after your ankles?

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 performance physiotherapist who has worked with West End shows, theatre tours, Badminton England,…
E176 · 18 Sep 2026 · 31 min

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

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 invites expert guests - trained psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists - to join…
E175 · 15 Sep 2026 · 31 min

Doctors' Notes: Type 2 Diabetes

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 properly managed. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the…
E174 · 15 Sep 2026 · 29 min

How can we better understand type 2 diabetes?

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 then look at who is most at risk, and why the condition can affect so many parts of the body.…
E173 · 8 Sep 2026 · 28 min

How to Spot a Sleep Disorder

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, with national roles across the OSA Alliance, British Thoracic Society, and NICE Sleep…
E172 · 1 Sep 2026 · 21 min

Doctors' Notes: Routine

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 whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk . Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Bas Verplanken…
E171 · 1 Sep 2026 · 29 min

Should you get back into a routine?

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 cut through the noise, they’re joined by Bas Verplanken, Professor Emeritus of Social…
E170 · 25 Aug 2026 · 19 min

Doctors' Notes: Walking

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 lifelong physical activity. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered…
E169 · 25 Aug 2026 · 29 min

How does walking benefit you?

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 when we walk, how walking differs from running, and why such a simple activity can have such…
E168 · 18 Aug 2026 · 34 min

Doctors' Notes: Crying

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 you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you can…
E167 · 18 Aug 2026 · 29 min

Is crying good for you?

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 we cry? Is crying actually any good for us? To help answer these questions, they’re joined…
E166 · 11 Aug 2026 · 20 min

Doctors' Notes: Relaxation

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 whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk . Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr Julian Baggani Producer:…
E165 · 11 Aug 2026 · 29 min

Why is it so hard to relax?

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 journalist Dr Julian Baggini. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at…
E164 · 4 Aug 2026 · 22 min

Doctors' Notes: Hydration

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 topic covered on the podcast, you email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk . Presenters: Drs Chris…
E163 · 4 Aug 2026 · 29 min

How hydrated should you really be?

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 actually help you lose weight? What about the online trend of loading water with supplements…
E162 · 28 Jul 2026 · 27 min

Doctors' Notes: Bad Advice

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 your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, please email us at…
E161 · 28 Jul 2026 · 29 min

Why do we follow bad advice?

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 social pressure shape our decisions, and why warning signs don’t always protect us from making…
E160 · 21 Jul 2026 · 21 min

Doctors' Notes: Eyes

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 you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you…
E159 · 21 Jul 2026 · 29 min

How can you look after your eyes?

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 advice, Chris and Xand are joined by Mr Raj Das-Bhaumik, a consultant ophthalmic and…
E158 · 14 Jul 2026 · 20 min

Doctors' Notes: AI Medicine

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 technologies. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast,…
E157 · 14 Jul 2026 · 29 min

What can AI medicine do for you?

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 information is shifting. In this episode, Chris and Xand van Tulleken debate whether these AI…
E156 · 7 Jul 2026 · 59 min

Doctors' Notes: Lungs Special at Crossed Wires Festival

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 factors that continue to influence who develops lung disease and who receives treatment.…
E155 · 7 Jul 2026 · 28 min

How can we look after our amazing lungs?

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 lung cancer to air pollution, smoking and respiratory infections, they discuss some of the…
E154 · 30 Jun 2026 · 21 min

Doctors’ Notes: Heart Palpitations

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 abnormal. They unpack the balance between prevention and overdiagnosis, and ask whether we risk…

About 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 and diagnostics every day and we are bombarded with so many headlines and pieces of advice; but how are we supposed to know what's really best for us and then successfully apply it to our lives? Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken embrace this challenge; even as they marvel at the scientific breakthroughs, they grapple with the competing claims about health, wellbeing and how to live. From understanding testosterone therapies to microplastics in our diets, and the concept of 'hangriness' to the power of saying no - this podcast deals with the health stresses we all face every day, while taking on board how the decisions by corporations and governments affect all our health. Each episode, Chris and Xand are joined by an expert guest to examine the latest research, psychological insights, and data, to help listeners navigate the overwhelming amount of information and advice out there. They talk about the trials and tribulations in their own lives in their characteristically witty way -…

What's Up Docs? is a English tech & science podcast from BBC Radio 4. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: BBC Radio 4
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 29 min
Latest episode: 6 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1803347615
Rights: (C) BBC 2026

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