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Dr Alice Roberts:
it's hard to embarrass an anatomist
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Dr Alice Roberts – Don't Die Young
Tuesday 29 July on BBC TWO
 Programme copy
Dr Alice Roberts returns to BBC Two this week for a second series of Don't Die Young, in which, through her considered and intelligent presentation of the workings of the human body, she shows how we can all be happier, healthier and live longer. To show how this is possible she has put her own body through a series of tests and scans – including dropping it from the ceiling of the Birmingham Symphony Hall.
In this series you've
put your body through quite a few stunts to show how the human body
works. What's been the scariest?
Being dropped from the ceiling of the Birmingham Symphony Hall, when it actually felt like I was going to fall all the way to the floor. I could only bring myself to do it because my friend, Trevor Massiah, was holding the rope and I trusted him not to actually let me hit the floor! The numbers of a particular type of white blood cell that responds to adrenaline went up fivefold in my blood. Pretty scary stuff.
When did you first think
cutting up bodies was interesting – have you ever felt squeamish?
It's not really the 'cutting up' that's interesting; it's what you find out about how the body is put together that's the fascinating bit. I've always been interested in how things work, and the human body is an amazing machine. And I'm still finding things out that amaze me.
I felt a bit squeamish as a medical student on my first day in the Dissection Room at university – I think most people do. But when you start looking at how the body is put together, that helps you get over the squeamishness. Some of the contributors to Don't Die Young had never seen a dissection before and were a bit nervous, but they were all very interested when we actually went into the Dissection Room.
In the series you often
paint the organs being studied on the naked body of Trevor, a climbing
friend of yours. How did he get involved and do you ever find it
embarrassing painting on him?
Trev helped to teach me to climb for the Channel 4 series Extreme Archaeology, and I knew he wouldn't mind taking off his shirt in front of the camera! I'm a doctor, so it takes a lot to embarrass me – though I did stop short of body-painting for the male reproduction programme. Trev's also been in the show doing what he does professionally – he's a climbing guide and instructor and he helped me climb the Avon Gorge blindfold for the eye programme in the first series.
How did you handle having your female reproductive
organs filmed in an MRI scanner and how do you think your mum will
feel about you pointing out your vagina on national television?
Again, it's difficult to embarrass an anatomist. Every woman has these bits of anatomy, so why be embarrassed about it? My mum may be somewhat taken aback, but she'll take it in her stride!
What are your five
top tips for staying healthy?
I don't like 'top tips'. The series is about a very simple message that tends to get mangled by media hype and health gurus going on about super foods and faddish diets. The key to being healthy is simple: be as physically active as you can, eat healthily – plenty of fruit and veg, don't drink too much alcohol, try to give up smoking, if you do, and don't get stressed! It's all easier said than done, I know, but I think we could all probably make some small changes that would make us significantly healthier and happier.
Has making the series
changed the way you think about your own body?
I suppose the things that made a real personal impact on me were the scans and tests I had in the course of filming the series. I'm always interested to see what's going on in there, but I was also a bit anxious in case anything abnormal turned up. I was really relieved that it all seemed pretty normal – apart from having a strange, but harmless, anatomical variation in the way my guts are fitted inside me. But it also made me very aware of the anxiety people can feel when they have to have tests.
What's been your favourite
part of the series?
I was absolutely amazed to see the new, 3D CT scanner in St Mary's Hospital. I was stunned at how quick the scan was, and the detail it showed up. I could look at the images afterwards, spin them round, strip off layers – as though I was doing a virtual dissection. I've also really enjoyed meeting a great range of biomedical scientists and finding out about their research. I was incredibly impressed with Professor Colin McGuicken and his team, who were making liver cells from stem cells in umbilical cord blood. This sort of research holds such potential for the future.
What bit did you
find yourself wishing you could get out of?
Just before I was actually dropped from the ceiling of Birmingham Symphony Hall – I'd have rather been anywhere else at that point! It is definitely the most scary thing I've ever done.
How do you spend your
time when you're not filming, studying for your PhD or lecturing?
Well, I've finished my PhD now, so I'm writing another book on the series. I'm busy filming at the moment: Human Journey (watch out for it on BBC Two in 2009). But I also enjoy painting, growing vegetables, cycling, yoga and surfing and taking my two dogs out for walks.
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