• 28 minutes 16 seconds
    6 - Team Sports, Making Sense, Pet Dog Blood Donors, Board Games

    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

    2 September 2026, 5:25 pm
  • 28 minutes 37 seconds
    5 - Seaweed Underwear, Bubbles, Saunas

    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

    26 August 2026, 5:25 pm
  • 29 minutes 1 second
    4 - Fighting, Gene Therapy for Huntington’s Disease, Plants

    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

    19 August 2026, 5:25 pm
  • 28 minutes 37 seconds
    3 - Horses, Breaking Bad News, Reels

    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

    12 August 2026, 5:25 pm
  • 28 minutes 38 seconds
    2 - Reformer Pilates, Persistence, Free Flaps

    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

    5 August 2026, 5:25 pm
  • 28 minutes 41 seconds
    1 - Rubbish, Home Births, Collaboration

    Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is comedian Michelle Wolf who reflects on home births, Professor Stephen Wallace explains how old plastic bottles can be transformed into a form of Dopamine that can be used to treat Parkinson’s disease, and Dr Matt Clarke demonstrates the power of medical collaboration in helping to identify and treat brain tumours.

    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: Dr Matt Clarke, Professor Stephen Wallace and Michelle Wolf

    Written by Edward Easton, Jordan Gray, 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

    29 July 2026, 5:25 pm
  • 40 minutes 34 seconds
    7. Bonus Episode - Extra Dose

    Right, roll up your sleeve, it’s time for an extra dose of Best Medicine!

    This is a special episode of unheard bits that couldn’t be squeezed into Series 2, featuring more fascinating medical insights, extended bits and a whole Petri dish of jokes – some more cultured than others.

    Laura Smyth shares more on sleep, Zoe Lyons delves into transplants and Dr Lindsey Fitzharris takes Kiri through more weird ritualistic historical medical practices. Dr Matt Morgan talks about the time he stripped naked and covered himself in honey in the name of science, Daliso Chaponda is still in denial about denial, Dr Mark Williams blows Kiri's mind with his unexpected swimming career, and Reverend Benjamin Perry opens up again about the benefits of crying.

    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 her panel 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 every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.

    Whether it’s futuristic 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: Daliso Chaponda, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Professor Nicholas Embleton, Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, Zoe Lyons, Dr Matt Morgan, Reverend Benjamin Perry, Dr Fotios Sampaziotis, Laura Smyth and Dr Mark Williams

    Written by Laura Claxton, Edward Easton, Mel Owen, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, and Ben Rowse

    Producers: Tashi Radha and Ben Worsfield

    Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones

    A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4

    24 December 2024, 7:10 am
  • 28 minutes 46 seconds
    6. Pain Management, Organoids, Prosthetic Leg Covers

    Joining Kiri this week is comedian Desiree Burch who explains the best ways to cope with pain following surgery. Dr Abdullah Khan engineers mini versions of human organs in a dish to enable more effective testing of new medical treatments, and Mark Williams shows off personalised prosthetic legs clad in anything from gold and flames to beer and the Welsh Flag.

    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 every-day 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: Desiree Burch, Dr Abdullah Khan and Dr Mark Williams

    Written by Laura Claxton, Mel Owen, 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

    24 December 2024, 7:00 am
  • 28 minutes 43 seconds
    5. Books, Poetry, Scandal, Writing

    Joining Kiri this week in a literary special recorded at the Hay Festival is comedian Ignacio Lopez who heals family wounds through writing. Dr Paul Craddock explains how one of the most prestigious medical journals started as a scandal magazine, Miss Shabnam Parkar shares how poetry helps her perform surgery, and Professor Neil Frude walks Kiri through library bookshelves for mental health treatments.

    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, an obscure invention, 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: Dr Paul Craddock, Professor Neil Frude, Ignacio Lopez, Miss Shabnam Parkar

    Written by Edward Easton, 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

    17 December 2024, 7:00 am
  • 28 minutes 50 seconds
    4. CAR T-cells, Ritual, Water, Crying

    Joining Kiri this week are Dr Claire Roddie who retrains cells to fight cancer using revolutionary, game-changing CAR T-cell therapy, and comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri who finds spiritual healing in water. Dr Lindsey Fitzharris takes comfort in rituals both historical and present-day to help her remember her grandmother Dorothy Sissors, and Rev Benjamin Perry explains how crying can be the best medicine.

    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 panellists 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: Fatiha El-Ghorri, Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, Rev Benjamin Perry and Dr Claire Roddie

    Written by Laura Claxton, Edward Easton, Mel Owen, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse

    Producers: Tashi Radha and Ben Worsfield

    Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones

    A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4

    10 December 2024, 7:00 am
  • 28 minutes 52 seconds
    3. Sleep, FMTs, Dr Charles Drew, Stem Cell Transplantation

    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

    3 December 2024, 7:00 am
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