A brilliant production full of everything you could want in a kids (of all ages) show — education, humour and farts!
Presented by: Andrew Kay and Margot Teele
Reviewed: 23 January, 2025
For many families, Operation Ouch is a regularly watched TV series. This brilliant show takes young viewers into hospitals and clinics, educating them about basic medical care and arming them with bucket loads of fun medical facts. The hosts, Dr Chris and Dr Xand, have created something sensational over the 12 seasons aired here in Australia. Now, they are touring the country with a live version of the show – Operation Ouch Live! The Quest for a Jurassic Fart.
Twin brothers Dr Chris and Dr Xand van Tulleken are Oxford University trained doctors who currently practice medicine. Dr Chris is an infectious diseases doctor at University College London Hospital, and is one of the BBC’s leading science presenters and a New York Times bestselling author. Dr Xand’s main interest and expertise lies in Public Health Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Anthropology, and he is the resident doctor on BBC’s Morning Live.
For almost 90-minutes Dr Chris and Dr Xand took the audience on a fart-astic adventure, exploring the human digestive system and throwing around more fart jokes than you could possibly imagine. The script, written by Dr Chris and Dr Xand, was both entertaining and informative, including dinosaurs, a collection of farts from historical figures (accompanied by some of the best puns going around), a sprinkling of magic and some fascinating educational facts, the doctors had the entire audience (of all ages) in the palm of their hands.
A huge highlight of the show was Dr Xand using an endoscope on himself and Dr Chris providing a running commentary on parts of the throat, nasal cavity and vocal chords. And of course there was the setting of farts (well, methane gas at least) on fire — don’t try that at home!
At the heart of Operation Ouch Live!, underneath all the humour and experiments, were powerful messages about not being afraid to speak up about healthcare, and your own physical health is nothing to be embarrassed about. The Doctors also discussed, in a caring and encouraging manner, how grades in school don’t always set in stone your final career path, with Dr Xand openly sharing some of his struggles in his schooling.
The TV series of Operation Ouch has become a staple in many families’ lives. In our family, it has opened conversations about health care, medical procedures and how hospitals work, and has sparked many dinner table conversations. To see the excitement on so many young peoples faces when Dr Chris and Dr Xand took to the stage was heart-warming. My own daughter, a massive fan of the show, was awash with emotions.
As an adult, I could continue to write about how brilliant Operation Out Live! was, but I thought it would be more fitting to conclude with the thoughts of my nine-year-old daughter, the target age of this brilliant production.
“I loved when Dr Chris turned into a dinosaur, and their massive fart collection. I loved that because it was funny and had so many good jokes in it. The show made me feel so happy and excited.”
Hopefully the doctors will be back with another live tour — it’s worth the hype.
Reviewed by Ben Stefanoff
Photo credit: Mark Senior
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Season: Ended
More News
