Best Medicine Podcast
Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by funny and fascinating comedians, doctors, scientists and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future.
Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by funny and fascinating comedians, doctors, scientists, and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future.
In each programme, Kiri challenges her guests to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each of them champions anything from world-changing science to an obscure invention, an every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.
Whether it's micro-robotic surgery, virtual reality syringes, Victorian clockwork surgical saws, more than a few ingenious cures for cancer, world-first lifesaving heart operations, epidurals, therapy, dancing, faith or laughter - it's always something worth celebrating.
Episodes to download
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5. Books, Poetry, Scandal, Writing—Series 2
Last Tuesday
Kiri opens the book on literary medicines in this special from the Hay Festival.
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4. CAR T-cells, Ritual, Water, Crying—Series 2
Tue 10 Dec 2024
Revolutionary reprogrammed cells that kill cancer, or could crying be the best medicine?
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3. Sleep, FMTs, Dr Charles Drew, Stem Cell Transplantation—Series 2
Tue 3 Dec 2024
Laura Smyth on sleep, strangers become blood brothers, and what exactly is a ‘crapsule’?
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2. Sweating In Nature, Animals, Transplantation, Horticulture—Series 2
Tue 26 Nov 2024
Zoe Lyons sweats outside, whales inspire a heart treatment and transplants transform lives
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1. MV140, Origami Surgical Capsules, Denial, Defibrillators—Series 2
Tue 19 Nov 2024
Ingestible origami robots battle against a revolutionary pineapple-flavoured UTI vaccine.
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Best Medicine: Series 2 - time for your second dose!—Series 2
Tue 12 Nov 2024
Kiri Pritchard-McLean is back with your second dose of Best Medicine!
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10. Epidurals, Embroidery, Play, Death—Series 1
Tue 12 Dec 2023
From birth to death via embroidery and play, what will Kiri choose as the Best Medicine?
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9. Autopsies, Light, Escapism, Henrietta Lacks—Series 1
Tue 5 Dec 2023
Can autopsies really be the best medicine?
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8. Doing Less, Gardening, The Smartphone, Expertise—Series 1
Tue 28 Nov 2023
Can you learn to see through your tongue?
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7. Failure, Detection, Herpes, Climate Change—Series 1
Tue 21 Nov 2023
Cancer-curing Herpes, Victorian clockwork saws and a neurologist playing detective.
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6. CT Scans, Inhalation, Faith, Attention—Series 1
Tue 14 Nov 2023
Guest Ria Lina champions CT scans.
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5. Laughter, Other People, Inclusion, Tissue Engineering—Series 1
Tue 7 Nov 2023
Drumming rats, Henry VIII's disabilities, laughter and a world-first heart operation.
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4. Surgical Microrobots, Backlash, The Immune System, Keeping an Open Mind—Series 1
Tue 31 Oct 2023
Micro-robots and the immune system are among the medicines championed in this episode.
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3. Breast Medicine—Series 1
Tue 24 Oct 2023
A breast special featuring a life-saving AI algorithm, luck and injectable radiation.
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2. Cytosponge, Fresh Air, Showmanship, Alkaline Breathing—Series 1
Tue 17 Oct 2023
Comedy meets medical science with a pill on a string and medieval surgery.
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1. Sobriety, Touch, Camellia Sinensis, Trust—Series 1
Tue 10 Oct 2023
Comedy meets medical science with virtual reality injections, sobriety and trust.
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Pilot: Bubbles, Dancing, Masks, GoodSAM
Tue 3 Oct 2023
Pilot: Comedy meets science with cancer-curing microbubbles, dancing & a life saving app.
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Introducing Best Medicine
Tue 26 Sep 2023
Kiri Pritchard-McLean dissects funny and fascinating medicine with experts and comedians.