What can you do about hearing loss?
What's Up Docs?
BBC
4.4 • 659 Ratings
🗓️ 16 December 2025
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.
In this episode, Chris and Xand dive into the physical side of hearing loss. What is the cocktail party problem, and why does it get worse with age? How does hearing work? What causes hearing loss? How can we protect our hearing? How can we manage hearing loss? What is tinnitus and how is it treated?
They explore the physical structures behind our hearing, the causes that can lead to physical changes and hearing loss, why it gets more difficult with age to distinguish speech in busy places, and the top tips you can use to protect and manage your hearing.
Joining them to discuss this is Prof Doris Bamiou, Professor of Neuroaudiology at the UCL Ear Institute, and Honorary Consultant in Audiological Medicine at the University College London Hospitals.
Transcript of this episode: https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio4/WUD/HEARING_LOSS_WUD_R4.pdf
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 Guest: Prof Doris Bamiou Researcher: Mili Ostojic Producer: Faye Lyons White Social Media Producer: Leon Gower Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable 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 |
| 0:02.2 | Music Radio Podcasts |
| 0:04.6 | I like when a manager wears a suit and tides, you know what I mean? |
| 0:09.7 | In 2025, we were here for the football. |
| 0:13.0 | The Wayne Rooney Show |
| 0:14.0 | As a manager, you're making decisions on what you're seeing on the pitch. |
| 0:16.9 | Sometimes it doesn't always pay off. |
| 0:18.3 | Football daily. |
| 0:19.4 | Loyalty in football. Does it still exist? There football daily loyalty in football does it still exist |
| 0:21.8 | there is no loyalty in football and tunie and russo do you feel like the pressure actually helps |
| 0:26.9 | you play the best football we've prepared ourselves to step out onto the pitch at the end of the day |
| 0:31.2 | get the best of 2025 with podcasts on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:41.4 | Hello and welcome to What's Up Docs. |
| 0:43.5 | We are delighted to have you all with us. |
| 0:44.4 | I'm Dr. Zahn. |
| 0:45.2 | And I'm Dr. Chris. |
| 0:51.0 | And this is the podcast where we explore health and well-being, everything from our amazing hearts, |
| 0:55.3 | the problem of dry skin, to whether we need more fiber in our diets. |
| 1:01.2 | Now, health and well-being can be noisy and confusing. |
| 1:07.5 | So this is the podcast where we turn down the volume on all the stuff you're getting told on the socials. |
| 1:12.1 | And in the newspapers, we're going to leave behind some truly sound advice. |
| 1:16.1 | I see what you're doing there, Zandi. I can see what you're doing here. Yes, because today we are talking about hearing loss, something that almost everyone experiences in some way as |
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