Doctors' Notes: Kissing
What's Up Docs?
BBC
4.4 • 659 Ratings
🗓️ 10 February 2026
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Chris and Xand dig deeper into the evolution of kissing. They ask what first drew our guest into this unusual area of research, why evidence that humans and Neanderthals kissed is so significant, and why it’s so challenging to explain why kissing developed in the first place.
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 Tulleken Guest: Dr Matilda Brindle Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Grace Revill Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Ruth Rainey
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, The Traitors Uncloaked. |
| 0:12.7 | But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's Saturday bonus episodes, |
| 0:18.2 | The Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Rylan, and comedy specials |
| 0:22.2 | from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffle and Rommashranganathan. |
| 0:25.9 | However, and maybe I'm biased, it's really all about the traitors uncoaked. |
| 0:30.3 | So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:37.4 | Welcome to Doctor's Notes. I'm Chris Van Tiliken, as ever I'm joined here with my Listen only on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:38.7 | Welcome to Doctor's Notes. |
| 0:42.7 | I'm Chris Van Tiliken, as ever I'm joined here with my identical twin brother. |
| 0:44.2 | That's me, Doctor Zand. |
| 0:45.5 | Let me do me. |
| 0:46.3 | I'm Doctor Zand. |
| 0:48.8 | This is a bit of bonus extra content. |
| 0:55.0 | We're going to dive deeper into the topic that we've just been discussing in our BBC Radio 4 podcast, What's Up Docs? We've just finished recording an interview about kissing with Dr. Matilda Brindle, who's an evolutionary |
| 0:59.7 | biologist at the University of Oxford. |
| 1:03.1 | In the main episode, we got a great definition of what kissing is, some different kinds of |
| 1:08.6 | kissing, and I think a sense of the number of different ways |
| 1:14.7 | you might end up thinking about kissing. And why we do it, I mean, I think that's the main thing. |
| 1:19.0 | I think you and I were both astonished to go, you know, you think of the kisses you've had, |
| 1:23.9 | why were you doing that with someone? It's an absolutely bizarre thing to do. |
| 1:27.7 | In the annas. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.