C4 to come Live from the Clinic in multiplatform consumer health show

14 April 2011

Dr Christian Jessen


Channel 4 is to go truly interactive for a new live series from the team behind Embarrassing Bodies.  Commissioned by Channel 4's Features Team, Diagnosis Live from the Clinic will enable viewers with medical concerns to seek advice and be ‘seen' by the doctors from the comfort of their own homes during the prime time show.

The 6 x 60 minute studio based series will use video calling to offer the public appointments with Dr Christian Jessen and Dr Dawn Harper along with guest specialists during live broadcast.

The series is focussing on live diagnosis and consumer health care. The doctors will be arming the caller -and the viewer - with practical advice and information on what treatments and services are available to them both on the NHS and privately.

Kate Teckman, Commissioning Editor (Features), Channel 4, said: "Imagine being able to get an appointment with one of our doctors as the programme is live on air. This is a truly innovative PSB commission that will take us into the future of health programming. The technological and multi platform ambition should make for a really exciting offering for viewers."

Medical practitioners are already using video calling to consult with patients, this new series will showcase how medicine may be practiced in the future. Consultations will take place in a studio designed exclusively for the programme. Dominating the studio will be a large video screen enabling the doctors to interact with the caller about their symptoms whilst live on air.

Each week the Diagnosis Live from the Clinic doctors also aim to diagnose and offer advice for specific ailments or conditions with the help of specialists, in areas such as dermatology or podiatry, providing a second opinion and specialist advice. 

Alongside the live cases there will be various consumer items featuring tests on over the counter medicines and insight into popular procedures such as laser eye surgery.

A dedicated team will be on standby during the show to handle the submissions from people wanting to apply for an appointment whilst the programme is on air. Pre-booking will also be possible via the  Live from the Clinic website, and through www.channel4.com/clinic

Diagnosis: Live from the Clinic will have a huge presence on Channel4.com and live web chats with specialist doctors will take place directly following the television programme each week. This adds to the existing portfolio of health-related content on Channel 4.com developed by Maverick.

 The Embarrassing Bodies site is an incredibly popular destination for people seeking medical advice - it has surpassed ten million visitors to date - and the recently launched My Healthchecker already has over 57,000 registered users.