What's Up Docs?

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 email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Mr Raj Das-Bhaumik
Producer: Dr Samara Linton
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Researcher: Mili Ostojic
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Olga Reed
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
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, 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 oculoplastic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, one of the world's leading eye hospitals. Together, they break down what everyone needs to look out for when it comes to their eyes.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Mr Raj Das-Bhaumik
Producer: Dr Samara Linton
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Researcher: Mili Ostojic
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Olga Reed
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

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, you email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Dr Emma Karoune
Producer: Rami Tzabar
Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree
Assistant Producer: Mili Ostojic
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Olga Reed
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
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.
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 chatbots, with their vast medical knowledge and surprisingly good "bedside manner", are a breakthrough for patient clarity or a new frontier for misinformation. From asking a chatbot about a "creaky knee" to AI’s burgeoning role in analysing scans, the twins explore a technology that is already transforming GP surgeries and laboratories alike.
While there is plenty to be cautiously excited about, big questions remain. Can we truly trust AI-generated advice? When is it helpful, and when is it dangerous?
To help navigate this rapidly evolving space, Chris and Xand are joined by Dr Emma Karoune, Principal Investigator of the Clinical AI Interest Group and Advancing Biomedical Data Science Careers project at The Alan Turing Institute. Together, they break down what patients and practitioners need to look out for in the age of AI medicine.
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 and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Dr Emma Karoune
Producer: Rami Tzabar
Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree
Assistant Producer: Mili Ostojic
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Olga Reed
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

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.
Recording at Crossed Wires Festival in Sheffield, they reflect on the city's industrial heritage and the lessons it offers for modern public health. They also ask what has changed in respiratory medicine during Robin's career, and how his work has influenced the way he thinks about his own health and wellbeing.
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 and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Robin Condliffe
Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Researcher: Grace Revill
Production Manager: Lisa Lipman
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Social Media: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.