Doctors’ Notes: Heart Special at BBC Radio Theatre
What's Up Docs?
BBC
4.4 • 659 Ratings
🗓️ 4 November 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In a specially extended episode recorded in front of an audience at the BBC Radio Theatre in London, What's up Docs? explores the wonders of the human heart.
"The heart is more than just a pump—it's a marvel of engineering and history, and in this episode, we're pulling it apart to see how it all works!”
Join Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken as they discover how reliable the human heart can be - beating on average a hundred thousand times a day - that's more than 2.5 billion beats in a lifetime!
The doctors are joined on stage by Sian Harding, Emeritus Professor of Cardiac Pharmacology at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London. She is also author of The Exquisite Machine: the new science of the hear. Sian tells us that far from being fragile, the human heart is a marvel of engineering, in fact, to get a washing machine to perform as well as the heart, it would have to run a wash cycle continiously for a 1000 years!
Also taking part is Prof Stephen Westaby, one of the world's leading heart surgeons, whose pioneering procedures have made front page news around the world. Over the course of his career, he has performed over 11,000 heart operations and is renowned for his groundbreaking work in artificial heart technology.
Together they look back at the history of heart surgery, reveal some of the latest breakthroughs in heart science, including the future of artificial hearts, and discuss how you can best to look after your own heart.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guests Professor Sian Harding and Professor Stephen Westaby Producers: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Grace Revil Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media Producer: 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.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.5 | It's like going into an ice path with your hands as the ice. |
| 0:10.8 | In 2025, we were here for the entertainment. |
| 0:13.8 | Ellis and John. |
| 0:14.9 | Have you not considered just coffee, which is what I do? |
| 0:17.6 | Sightracked with Annie and Nick. |
| 0:19.4 | Stevie Wonder, welcome. I'm pleasure. Loyal Carnar is with us. We want to hearract with Annie and Nick. Stevie Wonder, welcome. |
| 0:21.3 | My pleasure. |
| 0:22.2 | Loyal Carnar is with us. |
| 0:23.3 | Want to hear all about Glastonbury. |
| 0:24.5 | And Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked. |
| 0:27.1 | Welcome to Uncloaked, Ireland. |
| 0:28.8 | Oh, thanks for having me, Ed. |
| 0:30.5 | The winner. |
| 0:31.2 | I know, still hasn't sunk in. |
| 0:32.7 | Get the best of 2025 with podcasts on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:38.2 | Hello, listeners. I'm Dr Chris VT. I'm actually in a studio today without my twin brother, |
| 0:43.6 | Dr. Zanth, he's off knitting, maybe taking a nap. But this is a very special bit of bonus |
| 0:49.4 | content. In October, we recorded an episode of WhatsApp docs at the BBC Radio Theatre all about |
| 0:55.6 | our amazing heart. |
| 0:57.2 | And we spent a fantastic hour and a half with the live audience jollying us along. |
| 1:01.0 | And we had two phenomenal guests taking us on a tour through the depths of the human heart. |
... |
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