Doctors’ Notes: Heart Special at BBC Radio Theatre

Nov 4, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Professor Sian Harding, an expert in cardiac pharmacology and author, and Professor Stephen Westaby, a pioneering cardiothoracic surgeon, delve into the marvels of the human heart. They explore how emotions directly influence heart function, revealing how stress can lead to sudden cardiac events. Sian explains the heart's complex cellular structure and the potential of stem-cell therapies, while Stephen reflects on the evolution of heart surgery techniques. They also share vital lifestyle tips for heart health, igniting optimism for future advancements.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Heart As A Remarkable, Fragile-Perfect Machine

The heart is an exquisitely engineered pump whose durability far outstrips human machines.
Its muscle cells barely regenerate, so disrupting its precise structure risks long-term damage.

INSIGHT

Neuroception Links Heart And Emotion

The heart and emotions are linked via neuroception: the heart senses danger and feeds signals back to the brain.
Those signals can create anxiety or panic independently of conscious thought.

ANECDOTE

Childhood Encounters That Shaped A Surgeon

Stephen Westaby described childhood encounters with fatal heart disease that inspired his career.
Seeing a blue baby and family deaths motivated him to pursue heart surgery.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

In a specially extended episode recorded in front of an audience at the BBC Radio Theatre in London, What's up Docs? explores the wonders of the human heart.

"The heart is more than just a pump—it's a marvel of engineering and history, and in this episode, we're pulling it apart to see how it all works!”

Join Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken as they discover how reliable the human heart can be - beating on average a hundred thousand times a day - that's more than 2.5 billion beats in a lifetime!

The doctors are joined on stage by Sian Harding, Emeritus Professor of Cardiac Pharmacology at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London. She is also author of The Exquisite Machine: the new science of the hear. Sian tells us that far from being fragile, the human heart is a marvel of engineering, in fact, to get a washing machine to perform as well as the heart, it would have to run a wash cycle continiously for a 1000 years!

Also taking part is Prof Stephen Westaby, one of the world's leading heart surgeons, whose pioneering procedures have made front page news around the world. Over the course of his career, he has performed over 11,000 heart operations and is renowned for his groundbreaking work in artificial heart technology.

Together they look back at the history of heart surgery, reveal some of the latest breakthroughs in heart science, including the future of artificial hearts, and discuss how you can best to look after your own heart.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guests Professor Sian Harding and Professor Stephen Westaby Producers: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Grace Revil Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media Producer: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby

At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.