Show Notes
Joining Kiri this week is comedian Laura Smyth who discovered the importance of sleep as she underwent cancer treatment. Historian Subhadra Das celebrates the incredible medical pioneer of blood transfusion Dr Charles Drew, Professor Lindsay Hall uses golden poo donors to cure serious infections, and Professor Nicholas Embleton’s life is saved by a stem cell transplant. Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future. Each week, Kiri challenges a panel of medical experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention, to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it’s origami surgical robots, life-changing pineapple UTI vaccines, Victorian scandal mags, denial, sleep, tiny beating organoid hearts, lifesaving stem cell transplants, gold poo donors or even crying - it’s always something worth celebrating. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean Featuring: Subhadra Das, Professor Nicholas Embleton, Professor Lindsay Hall and Laura Smyth Written by Laura Claxton, Edward Easton, Charlie George, Mel Owen, Pravanya Pillay, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Nicky Roberts and Ben Rowse Producers: Tashi Radha and Ben Worsfield Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4
More from Best Medicine
Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is comedian Josh Pugh who makes the case for the life lessons learnt in Team Sports. Professor Julia Simner explores how our senses shape reality and talks to Kiri about a new pair of AI glasses that are helping people with dementia, Veterinary Ophthalmologist Dr Serena Maini champions the dogs helping to save other dogs' lives through blood donation, and writer Tim Clare rolls the dice for Board Games. Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, experts and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future. Each week Kiri challenges a panel of experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine'. Each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it’s groundbreaking surgery, seaweed underwear, AI glasses to help people with dementia, horse therapy, sports, revolutionary gene therapy for Huntington’s disease or yesterday’s rubbish becoming tomorrow’s medicines - it’s always something worth celebrating. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean Featuring: Tim Clare, Dr Serena Maini, Josh Pugh and Professor Julia Simner Written by Edward Easton, Mel Owen, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse Producer: Tashi Radha Executive Producer: Ben Worsfield Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4
Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is entrepreneur Alex Perry who champions seaweed underwear inspired by a personal mission to improve women's health. Professor Eleanor Stride returns with bubbles (again) in the fight against everything from cancer to antimicrobial resistance, and comedian Kate Cheka turns up the heat in defence of saunas. Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, experts and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future. Each week Kiri challenges a panel of experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it’s groundbreaking surgery, seaweed underwear, AI glasses to help people with dementia, horse therapy, sports, revolutionary gene therapy for Huntington’s disease or yesterday’s rubbish becoming tomorrow’s medicines - it’s always something worth celebrating. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean Featuring: Kate Cheka, Alex Perry and Professor Eleanor Stride Written by Edward Easton, Jordan Gray, Frances Keyton, Mel Owen, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Ben Rowse and Rhys Thorne Producer: Tashi Radha Executive Producer: Ben Worsfield Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4
Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is comedian Stephen Bailey who explains how fighting transformed his confidence. Professor Ed Wild shares a groundbreaking gene therapy that can treat Huntington's disease for the first time, and Professor Alessandra Devoto explores how plants like basil could help unlock future treatments for liver fibrosis. Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, experts and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future. Each week Kiri challenges a panel of experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it’s groundbreaking surgery, seaweed underwear, AI glasses to help people with dementia, horse therapy, sports, revolutionary gene therapy for Huntington’s disease or yesterday’s rubbish becoming tomorrow’s medicines - it’s always something worth celebrating. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean Featuring: Stephen Bailey, Professor Alessandra Devoto and Professor Ed Wild Written by Edward Easton, Jordan Gray, Frances Keyton, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Ben Rowse and Rhys Thorne Producer: Tashi Radha Executive Producer: Ben Worsfield Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4
Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is CEO and Founder of Devon Healing Horsemanship Louise Broadway, who champions how horses can help people for whom talking therapies haven’t worked. Intensive Care Doctor Matt Morgan argues there's more to Breaking Bad News than simply delivering it, and comedian Mel Owen shares how Instagram Reels helped lead her to not one but two life-changing diagnoses. Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, experts and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future. Each week Kiri challenges a panel of experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it’s groundbreaking surgery, seaweed underwear, AI glasses to help people with dementia, horse therapy, sports, revolutionary gene therapy for Huntington’s disease or yesterday’s rubbish becoming tomorrow’s medicines - it’s always something worth celebrating. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean Featuring: Louise Broadway, Dr Matt Morgan and Mel Owen Written by Edward Easton, Frances Keyton, Jordan Gray, Mel Owen, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse Producer: Tashi Radha Executive Producer: Ben Worsfield Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4
Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is comedian Jamie MacDonald who stretches the limits with Reformer Pilates, married couple Dr Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal who pitch the power of Persistence, and Wing Commander Poonam Valand who has Kiri in stitches with surgical Free Flaps. Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, experts and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future. Each week Kiri challenges a panel of experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine'. Each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention to an every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it’s groundbreaking surgery, seaweed underwear, AI glasses to help people with dementia, horse therapy, sports, revolutionary gene therapy for Huntington’s disease or yesterday’s rubbish becoming tomorrow’s medicines - it’s always something worth celebrating. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean Featuring: Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, Jamie MacDonald, Adrian Teal and Wing Commander Poonam Valand Written by Mel Owen, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse Producer: Tashi Radha Executive Producer: Ben Worsfield Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones A Large Time Production for BBC Radio 4