University academic takes viewers on a tour of the human body

Press release issued: 16 January 2007

Dr Alice Roberts, Senior Teaching Fellow at Bristol University's Department of Anatomy, wants to help you understand your major organs and how to keep them healthy. In tonight's first episode of 'Don't die young', she explains how to keep your kidneys in top condition.

If people knew more about how their bodies worked, they might be in with a better chance of staying healthy. Dr Alice Roberts, Senior Teaching Fellow at Bristol University's Department of Anatomy, and presenter on BBC Two's Coast, is on a mission to help people understand the machinations of their major organs and, in doing so, avoid a lifestyle which could be leading them to an early grave. The BBC Two series Don't die young begins tonight, Tuesday, 16 January, at 8 pm.

Britain increasingly seems to be a nation of health "experts" - organic converts, proud of their supplements and detox herbal teas. But many people don't know their lungs from their livers, and wouldn't know where the kidneys fit in if their lives depended on drawing a diagram.

In this six-part tour of the human body, Dr Alice Roberts introduces viewers to the key organs, explaining their functions and idiosyncrasies. She puts her gloves on and gets her scalpel out to dissect animal organs - similar in form and function to human ones - and cuts through the jargon and the myths to find out how we can hold on to our health and live to a ripe old age.

In tonight's opener, Alice meets party girl and mum of two Grainne, from Welwyn Garden City, who, at nearly 40 and with a family history of diabetes, is stressing out her kidneys. Grainne visits the lab to discover more about the body's filtration system and helps dissect a kidney to see the internal workings for herself. Armed with the information, she finally plucks up the courage to take a diabetes test.

Dr Roberts also puts three rugby players through their paces to find out how their kidneys cope under the stress of dehydration, and June from Aberdeen speaks from her own experience about what happens when kidneys fail. She has been on dialysis for four years, and her sister, Lorraine, offers her own kidney. When it is found to be a match, the programme follows the live kidney transplant operation. But the operation is not straightforward and there is a tough call for the surgeon.

Members of the public will also have the opportunity to hear Dr Alice Roberts talk about the popular BBC Two television series Coast and the new BBC Two television series Don't die young at two free public talks. The talks take place on Thursday 15 February and Thursday 15 March at Waddelow Hall, Broadmead Baptist Church, Broadmead, Bristol from 1 to 2 pm.

Preview: Don't Die Young

Dr Alice explains kidney function with the help of a bare-backed volunteer and a paintbrush.

Further information

The BBC Two six-part series Don't die young is transmitted today, Tuesday, 16 January at 8 pm.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to hear Dr Alice Roberts talk about the immensely popular BBC Two television series Coast and the new BBC Two television series Don't die young at two free public talks in February [Thursday 15] and March [Thursday 15].

The first talk, The Science of Coast, will take people behind the scenes on some of the science stories from the second series, including rocket testing on the Isle of Wight, and analysis of the light at St Ives.

Alice will also explore how the coast is, and always has been, at the forefront of the energy debate.

Her next talk An anatomist's guide to your organs, follows on from Alice's BBC Two television series Don't die young. Using amazing images created by the latest in medical imaging technology, Dr Roberts explains how doctors can visualise the anatomy of the living body, helping our understanding of how the body works, as well as aiding diagnosis.

Both talks will take place on Thursdays at Waddelow Hall, Broadmead Baptist Church, Broadmead, Bristol from 1 to 2 pm. No pre-booking is necessary and members of the audience are welcome to bring their sandwiches.