This morning we took a trip into London as we were gifted tickets to Operation Ouch! Live on Stage – Not for the Squeamish, written by TV’s favourite doctors, Dr Chris and Dr Xand, which has opened at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End. The strictly limited season must end on 16th January 2022.

Operation Ouch! Live on Stage review

Following three sell-out Australian tours, and a smash hit season in London’s West End Dr Chris and Dr Xand are back! Their show is packed with all-new crazy experiments and amazing facts. They explore the fascinating world of biology and show you the incredible things your body can do with special guest appearances via video from Dr Ronx.

The Lyric Theatre is a great venue and we had a great view from the stalls. We thought there was a great mix of live entertainment along with a few special video calls from Dr Ronx and extracts from their show Operation Ouch!

Although we were asked to wear our masks throughout we didn’t feel it impacted on our enjoyment of the show. The kids love following Dr Chris and Dr Xand on their quest to find the golden poo and were thoroughly entertained for the 70 minutes the show lasted. There were lots of jokes and we almost felt that some of the technical difficulties showed what natural entertainers Dr Chris and Dr Xand are.

As you would expect there were some special gross moments that we just couldn’t bring ourselves to watch. These included watching a video of maggots eating flesh, and watching the feed from the endoscope!

We loved the show and bought a copy of the programme which kept my daughter entertained whilst we were waiting for the show to start (and went we went for lunch after the show too!). We had a brilliant time and would recommend the show to other families to.

About Dr Chris and Dr Xand

Dr Chris and Dr Xand van Tulleken are identical twins who grew up in London and trained in medicine at Oxford University. They both still work in medicine: Dr Chris is based at University College London Hospital and Dr Xand is the Helen Hamlyn Senior Fellow at Fordham University’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs. This work is done concurrently with their media work. Dr Chris, during 2020, shared his own personal experience of COVID-19 in the BBC One documentary Surviving the Virus: My Brother and Me. He also hosted two Horizon Coronavirus specials for BBC 2. Dr Xand, during 2020, hosted Morning Live and Healthcheck UK on BBC One. He also hosted the quick turnaround documentaries Coronovirus: How To Isolate Yourself, When Will Lockdown End? and How To Avoid A Second Wave for Channel 4.

This summer they launched their first podcast, A Thorough Examination with Dr Chris and Dr Xand. Together they have appeared on shows such as Twinstitute, Planet Child, The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed, Frontline Doctors: Winter Migrant Crisis, Horizon, Is Binge Drinking Really That Bad?, Blow Your Mind, Horizon, Sugar V Fat, Which Doctor?, The Secret Life of Twins, Medicine Men Go Wild, as well as their hugely popular children’s series, Operation Ouch!.

Listings info

Operation Ouch! Live on Stage is written by Chris and Xand van Tulleken and directed by Peter Adams.
It is on between 4th December 2021 – 16th January 2022
Lyric Theatre
29 Shaftesbury Avenue
London W1D 7ES
Box Office: 0330 333 4812
Tickets cost from £15.00 (all tickets include a 65p restoration levy.)
Running time: 70 mins, no interval
Recommended age: 5+

You may be interested in our other London theatre reviews:

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

The Gruffalo Live

The Gruffalo’s Child Live

Horrible Histories More Best of Barmy Britain!