In a brand new weekly series for BBC Radio 4, starting Tuesday 3 October at 6.30pm, Kiri Pritchard-McLean will be challenging her guests to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine'. They will be uncovering a huge array of answers: from world-changing science to obscure inventions, every-day treatments, uplifting worldviews, unsung heroes from history or futuristic cures. Kiri and her guests will also hear from people whose lives have been directly affected by remarkable medical breakthroughs.

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 - this series will expand ideas of what medicine can be and explore its human impact.

In another chance to hear the successful pilot which won the series commission, episode one features medical historian Dr Lindsey Fitzharris sharing the story of the pioneering World War I surgeon who transformed wounded soldiers’ faces, comedian Darren Harriott who puts forward the case for dancing, biomedical engineer Professor Eleanor Stride who explores the fantastical field of cancer-curing micro bubbles, and brain surgeon Professor Mark Wilson speaks about a phone app which can summon a first-aider at the touch of a button. Kiri will also hear from a member of the audience whose life was saved by the app when a neighbour who he’d never met appeared at his door to administer first aid.

Other series highlights include a pioneering treatment which reprogrammes herpes viruses to kill cancer; the power of touch, as demonstrated by virtual injections; and the remarkable story of Henrietta Lacks, whose cancer incredible ‘immortal’ cells have been used in everything from the development of the first Polio treatment to the Covid vaccine – but whose own life story is often overlooked. There will also be a special episode, coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness month, featuring radiobiologist Dr Samantha Terry, historian Dr Lindsey Fitzharris relating her own experience of breast cancer with a walk through the history of breast cancer operations, comedian Jordan Gray, and Sarah Kerruish unveiling the jaw-dropping diagnostic power of MIA, an algorithm which can diagnose breast cancer in seconds.

Episodes will be broadcast weekly on Radio 4 and will also be available each week on BBC Sounds.

Julia McKenzie, Radio 4 Commissioning Editor for Comedy, says: "This series is brilliant at uncovering extraordinary eyebrow-raising facts and stories from the world of medicine in a very entertaining and funny way. I hope listeners find plenty to inspire and uplift them."

Kiri Pritchard-McLean says: "I'm so excited to share Best Medicine with listeners on Radio 4 and Sounds – it’s everything I look for in a programme: fascinating, hilarious, horizon-expanding and full of heart. I’ve been endlessly talking to people about the show and now they can finally listen to it, rather than politely nod through my enthusiasm and half-remembered medical facts!"

Produced by Ben Worsfield. A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4.