Matt Hutchinson: Are You Really the Doctor?

"Black doctors sometimes have to deal with additional challenges - the public lost their minds when a Black Dr Who was announced. If they can't handle a make believe, time travelling, shape shifting alien being black, they probably feel the same about brain surgeons."

Matt Hutchinson is a stand-up comic who also happens to be a hospital doctor. Or should that be the other way around? He specialises in rheumatology, general internal medicine and making people laugh. This, coupled with his Jamaican/White British heritage are the basis of his show Are You Really the Doctor?

We may be familiar with stories of struggling through long hours and making difficult decisions, while trying to help people when life has dealt them the worst. Doing this while black is to run a marathon with a stone in your shoe, cheered on by a crowd who hope you’re running back to where you came from, worried the police will stop you for speeding.

Alongside his comedy, Matt is a writer, NHS doctor and medical researcher - his recently completed PhD is in molecular virology and immunology at UCL/the Francis Crick Institute.

Written by Matt Hutchinson
Additional Material: Dec Munro
Recording Engineer: David Thomas
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4