The Aural Apothecary
An authentic yet lighthearted take on the world of medicines and healthcare in the UK from Jamie, Gimmo and Steve the Chemist
Recent Episodes
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June 25, 2026
8.10 From HRT to Headlines with Dr Ellie Cannon
We discuss the evolving landscape of menopause treatment and the dangers of health misinformation online to the role of the media in shaping public health behaviour with Dr Ellie Cannon , GP and Mail on Sunday health columnist
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May 28, 2026
8.9 How to take Drugs with Professor Nick Barber
Are your medicines actually working for you? We are joined by Professor Nick Barber — pharmacist, academic and author of the new book How to take Drugs — for a sharp, eye-opening conversation about why medicines so often fail in the real world
8
May 7, 2026
8.8 Biography Before Biology: Professor Sir Gregor Smith and Critical Connections
Is healthcare becoming too much like a repair shop? In this episode, we are joined by Professor Sir Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, for a wide-ranging conversation on 10 years of Realistic Medicine
7
March 26, 2026
8.7 Dr Lena Frischlich - Seeing isn’t Believing - Medicines in the Age of Misinformation
We explore the challenging landscape of disinformation in healthcare with Associate Professor Dr. Lena Frischlich from the University of Southern Denmark
6
Feb. 26, 2026
8.6 Anecdotes & Antidotes - 5 Years of Medicines and Memories
In this fifth anniversary special, hosted by Sarah Cripps , we reflect on five years of remarkable guests, powerful stories, and conversations that have reshaped how we think about medicines
5
Jan. 29, 2026
8.5 There’s an App for That: Medicines in the Digital NHS with Rahul Singal
In an era where “there’s an app for that” is increasingly the answer, we turn our attention to what digital transformation really means for medicines. Not just convenience and clicks, but safety, understanding, and how people actually experience care.
Jan. 15, 2026
Live from Oxford with Professor Ben Goldacre - Bad Pharma, Good Data, Better Care
In this special live episode with Prof Ben Goldacre The Aural Apothecary takes the stage at the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, hosted at Jesus College, Oxford University, as part of the Institute’s 10-year anniversary conference.
Dec. 25, 2025
The Aural Apothecary Almanac 2025
In the festive, end-of-year episode, the Apothercaries are joined by the fourth and fifth apothecaries, Clare Howard and Jonathan Underhill and reflect on momentous moments in medicines alongside some personal reflections
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Nov. 27, 2025
8.4 Professor Alistair Boxall - From Prescription to Pollution: The Unseen Impact of Medicines in Our Waterways
What really happens to medicines after we swallow them? Where do they end up… and what exactly are we flushing away? Which medicines might we be taking —unknowingly—the next time we pour a glass of tap water?
3
Oct. 31, 2025
8.3 Brian MacKenna - In God we Trust - All Others Must Bring Data
Data - it’s mentioned in the new NHS 10 year Health Plan 178 times! As healthcare continues to evolve, the ability to turn data into insight — and insight into better prescribing — has never been more important
Recent Blog Posts
Aug. 10, 2026
From Prescription to Ocean — A TEDx Talk by Jamie Hayes: One year on
The Making of a TEDx Talk: A thirty-five-year career of listening to clinicians, patients and the public It’s one year since my TEDx talk, Prescription to Ocean: The Hidden Impact of Medicines, was published. The talk was delivered at Swansea TE…
May 10, 2025
The BNF: Each edition a new gold bar
I recently rescued an almost entire collection of the British National Formulary (BNF). The rescue was a close thing. The condemned collection wasn’t quite in the skip, but was pretty close. Poignantly, the rescue took place in Penarth, South Wales,…
April 13, 2025
The Contented Clinician Podcast
Find all podcast episodes here: https://ccpod.netlify.app/ Keen listeners would have heard us talk about being privileged members of the RCGP Overdiagnosis / Overtreatment email group. So, we are proud to be one of a number of podcasts (Best …