Embarrassing Bodies Live Q&A

2 April 2014

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Embarrassing Bodies: Live from the Clinic, returns later this month for a new series on Channel 4. Here, your three favourite doctors (unless you’re a fan or Dr. Dre, and we’re not even convinced he’s medically qualified) answer some key questions ahead of the show.

 

Dr Christian Jessen

HOW IS EB LIVE DIFFERENT FROM THE REGULAR EB SERIES?

 I suppose it is much faster paced with masses of things going on, Pixie giggling, Dawn knowing all the answers to everything and me worrying if perhaps the shirt I have chosen is just pushing it a little too far on the bright side!

WHAT ARE THE PERILS OF LIVE TV?  IS IT EXCITING?

I love doing live tv -you can exactly what time you start and what time you finish, and you don't have to go back and do things again, which is something that happens a lot in pre-recorded telly. If you think about it all doctor's consultations are 'live' -you can't really go and look things up and you need to manage your patient's issues there and then, so live telly doctoring is no different!

DO YOU GET NERVOUS?  IF SO, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH YOUR NERVES?

I really don't get nervous any more. I get the usual rush of adrenalin when the countdown to broadcast is going on, but that is quite normal, I'm sure, and gives you the energy to go on and present a really good show (I hope!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT EB BECOMING A GAME?

It's a genius idea! And if the VoiceOver that I recorded for it is anything to go by I think it is going to be a really fun game! Move over Angry Birds, EB is here!

 

Dr Pixie McKenna

HOW IS EB LIVE DIFFERENT FROM THE REGULAR EB SERIES?

Because it’s broadcast live it is unpredictable in the same way a regular every day surgery is...you never know what is going to happen next, ranging from the good the bad and the ugly. This also means there is no recourse to Dr Google to help you out as you’re live on air and literally have to think on your feet!

WHAT ARE THE PERILS OF LIVE TV? 

Until I had my eyes lasered at the end of last year I failed to read the auto cue unless it was in jumbo print! So at least I don’t have that to worry about. Ladders in tights, gurgling bowel sounds, breaking out in a sweat and being lost for words spring to mind! Like everything else that’s nerve-wracking, the energy and excitement keeps you going. There’s a great buzz both on and off set which is both frenetic and infectious…

DO YOU GET NERVOUS? 

I’m not really a nervous person, at least I tell myself I’m not! I use exercise to burn off steam, sip tea and remind myself that the worst thing that could happen is probably that I burst out of my frock and even that’s not fatal!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT EB BECOMING A GAME?

I love the idea of EB becoming a game. Whilst it’s fun, there’s a serious message behind it and what better way to engage the public on health matters?

Dr Dawn Harper:

HOW IS EB LIVE DIFFERENT FROM THE REGULAR EB SERIES?

EB Live feels very different. The patients are talking to us via Skype from the comfort of their own homes which for many may feel less intimidating, and of course it is very fast. It is amazing how much NHS clinical practice has changed in the time since I qualified as a GP. I do far more telephone calls and email consultations today then I did when I started and I can see Skype becoming another way that we will talk to our patients in the future.

WHAT ARE THE PERILS OF LIVE TV? 

Anything can happen with live TV and of course occasionally it does. We have had times when we have lost the line with patients or we have been about to talk to someone who has changed their mind at the last minute but that is what makes it dynamic and yes, at times, nerve wracking!

DO YOU GET NERVOUS?  IF SO, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH YOUR NERVES?

It’s adrenaline fuelled that’s for sure - I don’t get nervous actually but I think that is mainly because it is very similar to what I do with my "day job". In the real world, no-one tells you your 9am has a painful hip, your 9.10, has heavy periods and your 9.20 is struggling with panic attacks. You just deal with things as they come through the door, which is precisely what we do in Live FromThe Clinic.  So I treat it more like a day in surgery than a day in the studio and I absolutely love it. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT EB BECOMING A GAME?

I'm thrilled - I think it's lots of fun. I am very proud of the way EB has brought health information to a huge spectrum of society, many of whom may not naturally consider their health. Yes it can be cheeky at times but always with a serious underlying message about our health and the symptoms we shouldn't ignore. I think the game will take those messages one stage further and I hope it is as successful as it deserves to be.  And finally, my kids think I’m cool now I’m in an app!