9. Autopsies, Light, Escapism, Henrietta Lacks

Best Medicine

Joining Kiri this week is a druid, a drag queen and a mortician...it's one man, Kristoffer Hughes, who puts forward the autopsy as the best medicine. Professor Olivette Otele tells us the tale of Henrietta Lacks, an extraordinary woman whose so called 'immortal cells' have saved countless lives, movie reviewer Ali Plumb talks about the importance of escapism and shares his own story of recovery through movies, TV, art and culture, and Professor Anil Seth sheds a light on...light.

Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. 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.

Each week, 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 everyday 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.

Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean

Featuring: Kristoffer Hughes, Professor Olivette Otele, Ali Plumb and Professor Anil Seth

Written by Edward Easton, Charlie George, Rajiv Karia, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Nicky Roberts and Ben Rowse

Producer: Ben Worsfield

Assistant Producer: Tashi Radha

Executive Producer: Simon Nicholls

Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones

A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4