Chris van Tulleken

Christoffer van Hoogenhouck-Tulleken (born 1 August 1978),^[1] known as Dr. Chris, is a British physician, television presenter, and identical twin brother of Alexander "Xand" van Hoogenhouck-Tulleken.^[2][3] Van Tulleken became well known for his two-part television special for BBC One entitled The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs (2018).^[4][5] He is the author of Ultra-Processed People (2023). The Van Tulleken brothers are best known for presenting the children's series Operation Ouch! (2013).^[6][7]

Chris van Tulleken was born to Anthony van Tulleken, an industrial designer, and his wife Kit, a publisher.^[8] Their younger brother is the film director Jonathan van Tulleken.^{[citation needed]}

They are descended from Dutch Rear-Admiral Jan van Hoogenhouck Tulleken (1762–1851), originally Jan Tulleken, of a family traced back to the 15th century, who changed his name in 1822 and was raised to the nobility in 1842 with the rank of Jonkheer, the lowest tier of nobility.^[9] The family name is officially without a hyphen, and in the Netherlands, use of the name "van Tulleken" is considered wrong, as the "van" belongs to the name Hoogenhouck.^{[citation needed]}

Van Tulleken was educated at Hill House preparatory school, then King's College School, an independent day school for boys in Wimbledon, southwest London, followed by St Peter's College at the University of Oxford.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2023, van Tulleken and his brother Xand were the subjects of the BBC genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are?, in which they learned that they were descended from a wealthy slave-trader who had a plantation in Demerara in The Guianas.^[10]

Van Tulleken and his twin presented Channel 4's Medicine Men Go Wild,^[11] and BBC Two's Trust Me, I'm A Doctor alongside Michael Mosley.^[12] Van Tulleken was the expedition doctor for BBC Two's Operation Iceberg,^[13] and has appeared in Top Dogs: Adventures in War, Sea and Ice (BBC 2),^[14] Holiday Hit Squad (BBC One),^[15] Museum of Life (BBC Two),^[16] The Secret Life of Twins (BBC One),^[17] as well as Celebrity Mastermind and The Wright Stuff.^{[citation needed]} He was also doctor to a team led by Bruce Parry which recreated the 1911 race to the South Pole in the BBC documentary Blizzard: Race to the Pole.^[18] The twins presented What's The Right Diet for You? A Horizon Special.^[19]

Van Tulleken was named as an emerging British talent in "The Brit List 2013" by ShortList magazine.^[20]

In 2015, the twins presented another Horizon episode, titled Is Binge Drinking Really That Bad?, in which they tested the effects of different levels of drinking alcohol, with van Tulleken drinking moderate amounts daily, and twin brother Xand bingeing weekly.^[21]

He appeared with his twin on Series 5 of Hacker Time.^[22]

In 2016, alarmed by the steep rise in prescription medicine in Britain and dubious as to its efficacy, van Tulleken was featured in the BBC One television show The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs. In the two-part social experiment, he took over part of a GP surgery and attempted to find practical ways to treat patients and stop patients' prescription pills.^[4][23]

In January and February 2019, they presented a documentary series called The Twinstitute, repeated in 2020.^[24]

In Surviving the Virus: My Brother & Me, after contracting COVID-19, Xand was left with an irregular heartbeat.^[25][26]

In 2023, Chris published the book Ultra-Processed People.^[27]

Van Tulleken's wife Dinah gave birth to a second daughter in June 2020.^[28]

Until February 2018, van Tulleken was a patron and board member of the medical aid and healthcare charity Doctors of the World UK,^[29] which is a member of the international Médecins du Monde network. In 2015, he ran the London Marathon for Doctors of the World, raising over £3,400.^[30]