Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

What's Up Docs?

Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves.

Radio 4,93 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Daily Dose: Embarrassment
Chris and Xand return to embarrassment and why it’s an important social emotion.
09 Jan 2026,3 mins
Daily Dose: Knees
Chris and Xand return to their episode on knees and the advice for looking after them.
08 Jan 2026,2 mins
Daily Dose: Menstrual Health
In this Daily Dose, Drs Chris and Xand return to their episode on the menstrual cycle.
07 Jan 2026,4 mins
Doctors' Notes: Resolutions
Chris and Xand dig deeper into what it means to create lasting change.
26 mins
Should we be turning over a new leaf in January?
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken ask why making changes is so hard.
06 Jan 2026,28 mins
Daily Dose: Difficult Conversations
Chris and Xand return to difficult conversations, reflecting on how best to approach them.
05 Jan 2026,5 mins
Daily Dose: False Memories
Chris and Xand return to false memories, asking what they are, and why we all have them.
02 Jan 2026,3 mins
Daily Dose: Napping
In this first Daily Dose, Chris and Xand reflect on what the ideal nap looks like.
01 Jan 2026,3 mins
Introducing the Daily Dose
Need a January refresh? Chris and Xand have it covered with Daily Doses of expert wisdom.
31 Dec 2025,2 mins
Doctors' Notes: Joy
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken take a deeper dive into the science of joy.
30 Dec 2025,22 mins
Is joy always good for us?
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore joy and why it can be a complicated emotion.
30 Dec 2025,28 mins
Doctors' Notes: Comfort
Drs Chris and Xand look at nostalgia and comfort foods.
23 Dec 2025,30 mins
How can you find comfort in the winter months?
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the true meaning of comfort, past and present.
23 Dec 2025,28 mins
Doctors' Notes: Hearing Loss
Drs Chris and Xand look at how cognitive processing of sound works and what can go wrong.
16 Dec 2025,29 mins
What can you do about hearing loss?
Drs Chris and Xand want to know why hearing loss happens and what can be done about it.
16 Dec 2025,28 mins
Doctors' Notes: Dopamine
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken dig deeper into what happens when dopamine goes wrong.
21 mins
Can you be ‘addicted to dopamine’?
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken ask what dopamine really is and why it matters.
09 Dec 2025,28 mins
Doctors' Notes: Beliefs
Drs Chris and Xand want to know how beliefs form, spread, and resist change.
02 Dec 2025,20 mins
Does what we believe about our health affect it?
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken want to know why beliefs about our bodies are so powerful.
02 Dec 2025,28 mins
Doctors' Notes: Dry Skin
The docs want to know about eczema, how steroids can help, and the stigma around skin.
25 Nov 2025,24 mins
How should you relieve dry skin?
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken want to know why dry skin happens and how to relieve it.
25 Nov 2025,29 mins
Doctors' Notes: Hot and Cold Therapies
Chris and Xand want to know if cold water swimming and contrast therapy are good for you.
18 Nov 2025,27 mins
Do hot and cold therapies work?
Drs Chris and Xand want to know whether it’s good to challenge your body temperature.
18 Nov 2025,28 mins
Doctors' Notes: All-or-Nothing Thinking
Drs Chris and Xand want to know how all-or-nothing thinking occurs in everyday life.
11 Nov 2025,19 mins
How to escape all-or-nothing thinking
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken want to know what ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking is.
11 Nov 2025,28 mins
Doctors’ Notes: Heart Special at BBC Radio Theatre
Chris and Xand explore the wonders of the human heart, in a specially extended episode.
04 Nov 2025,44 mins
How can you look after your amazing heart?
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the wonders of the heart and how to look after it.
04 Nov 2025,27 mins
Doctors' Notes: Psychedelics
Chris and Xand take a deeper dive into psychedelics and discuss the use of microdosing.
30 Oct 2025,31 mins
Doctors' Notes: False Memories
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken delve further into the research around false memories.
28 Oct 2025,21 mins
What should we do about false memories?
Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the role of false memories in our lives.
28 Oct 2025,28 mins