Operation Ouch!
British children's television show
title: "Operation Ouch!" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2012-british-television-series-debuts", "2010s-british-children's-television-series", "2010s-british-medical-television-series", "2020s-british-children's-television-series", "2020s-british-medical-television-series", "bbc-medical-television-shows", "british-english-language-television-shows", "cbbc-original-programming", "television-series-by-all3media", "british-television-series-with-live-action-and-animation"] description: "British children's television show" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ouch!" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary British children's television show ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | Operation Ouch Promo 2012 Screenshot.jpg |
| creator | Chris van Tulleken |
| Xand van Tulleken | |
| starring | Chris van Tulleken |
| Xand van Tulleken | |
| Ronx İkharia | |
| country | United Kingdom |
| language | English |
| num_series | 13 + (1 special and 1 extra) |
| num_episodes | 157 |
| executive_producer | Simone Haywood (Maverick) |
| Kez Margrie (CBBC) | |
| producer | Maverick Television |
| Ian France | |
| runtime | 28 minutes |
| company | Maverick Television |
| network | CBBC |
| first_aired | |
| last_aired | present |
| :: |
| image = Operation Ouch Promo 2012 Screenshot.jpg | creator = Chris van Tulleken Xand van Tulleken | starring = Chris van Tulleken Xand van Tulleken Ronx İkharia | country = United Kingdom | language = English | num_series = 13 + (1 special and 1 extra) | num_episodes = 157 | executive_producer = Simone Haywood (Maverick) Kez Margrie (CBBC) | producer = Maverick Television Ian France | runtime = 28 minutes | company = Maverick Television | network = CBBC | first_aired = | last_aired = present Operation Ouch! is a British comedy children's television series on the human body, showing what happens in A&E, what doctors sometimes have problems with and medical experiments. The first series of Operation Ouch! aired on CBBC in October 2012 and ABC Australia in 2013. The show is hosted by twin brothers and doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken and in 2019 a new doctor, Ronx İkharia, was introduced. Series 9 first aired on CBBC starting May 2020 for one episode, and then resumed on 13 January 2021.
In June 2019 the programme's production company, Maverick Television, announced that an American version was in development.
Overview
In order to educate children about medicine and biology, doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken perform experiments on the human body to see how they work and investigate medical treatments and technology. The doctors also offer "try this at home" experiments for viewers to participate in. In addition, they follow paediatric accident and emergency personnel and patients at Alder Hey Children's Hospital and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. The doctors also join West Midlands Ambulance Service and Midlands Air Ambulance rapid response teams on the road and in patients' homes as they assist with medical emergencies.
Production
The first series has 13 episodes, the first of which aired in October 2012 on CBBC. A second series began in September 2013 and consisted of 10 episodes. A fourth and fifth series was broadcast in 2016 on the CBBC channel in the UK. The seventh and eighth series were both broadcast on CBBC in 2019. A ninth series began airing on CBBC in 2020 with the first episode focussing on COVID-19, and episodes continued from January 2021. The hosts, Chris and Xand van Tulleken, were trained in medicine at the University of Oxford, and both graduated in 2002: Chris is a practicing medical doctor while Xand focuses on research and teaching. In 2019, Ronx İkharia joined the programme.
Episodes run for 28 minutes.
Episodes
Series 1 (2012)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 1 | |
| 2 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 2 | ||
| 3 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 3 | ||
| 4 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 4 | ||
| 5 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 5 | ||
| 6 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 6 | ||
| 7 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 7 | ||
| 8 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 8 | ||
| 9 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 9 | ||
| 10 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 10 | ||
| 11 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 11 | ||
| 12 | Operation Ouch!: Episode 12 | ||
| :: |
Series 2 (2013)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 1 | |
| 2 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 2 | ||
| 3 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 3 | ||
| 4 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 4 | ||
| 5 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 5 | ||
| 6 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 6 | ||
| 7 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 7 | ||
| 8 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 8 | ||
| 9 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 9 | ||
| 10 | Operation Ouch!: Series 2, Episode 10 | ||
| :: |
Series 3 (2015)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 1 | |
| 2 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 2 | ||
| 3 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 3 | ||
| 4 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 4 | 17 February 2015 | |
| 5 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 5 | 24 February 2015 | |
| 6 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 6 | ||
| 7 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 7 | ||
| 8 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 8 | ||
| 9 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 9 | ||
| 10 | Operation Ouch!: Series 3, Episode 10 | ||
| :: |
Series 4 (2016)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | Operation Ouch!: Series 4, Episode 1 | |
| 2 | Operation Ouch!: Series 4, Episode 2 | ||
| 3 | Operation Ouch!: Series 4, Episode 3 | ||
| 4 | Operation Ouch!: Series 4, Episode 4 | ||
| 5 | Operation Ouch!: Series 4, Episode 5 | ||
| 6 | Operation Ouch!: Series 4, Episode 6 | ||
| 7 | Operation Ouch!: Series 4, Episode 7 | ||
| 8 | Operation Ouch!: Series 4, Episode 8 | ||
| 9 | Best Of... | ||
| 10 | Don't Panic About Puberty | ||
| :: |
Series 5 – Hospital Takeover (2016)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | Bendy Bodies | 31 October 2016 |
| 2 | Ear We Go! | 7 November 2016 | |
| 3 | Bendy Cool Cartilage | 14 November 2016 | |
| 4 | Awesome Oxygen | 21 November 2016 | |
| 5 | Super Saliva | 28 November 2016 | |
| 6 | Extraordinary Eyes | 28 November 2016 | |
| 7 | Germ-Fighters | 29 November 2016 | |
| 8 | Big Burps! | 30 November 2016 | |
| 9 | Pancreas Power | 1 December 2016 | |
| 10 | Jaw-Dropping Jaws | 2 December 2016 | |
| :: |
''Operation Ouch! Hospital Takeover Live'' (2016)
In December 2016, a 2-hour live special was broadcast on the CBBC website hosted by Karim Zeroual. Guests included Cel Spellman and Millie Innes.
Series 6 (2017)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | Jaw-dropping Joints | 20 September 2017 |
| 2 | Extraordinary Ears | 27 September 2017 | |
| 3 | Super Sensory Neurons | 4 October 2017 | |
| 4 | Colossal Coughs | 11 October 2017 | |
| 5 | Terrific Teeth | 18 October 2017 | |
| 6 | Exceptional Eyebrows | 25 October 2017 | |
| 7 | Mind-boggling Brains | 1 November 2017 | |
| 8 | Marvellous Valves | 8 November 2017 | |
| 9 | Gob-smacking Growth Plates | 15 November 2017 | |
| 10 | Sensational Sphinchters | 22 November 2017 | |
| 11 | Super Strong Skulls | 29 November 2017 | |
| 12 | Tremendous Tears | 6 December 2017 | |
| 13 | Flabbergasting Favourites | 13 December 2017 | |
| :: |
Series 7 (2019)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | What Makes You, You? | 2 January 2019 |
| 2 | Why Do Bones Break? | 2 January 2019 | |
| 3 | What Makes You Go Yuck? | 9 January 2019 | |
| 4 | Don't Pick Your Scabs! | 16 January 2019 | |
| 5 | Why Is Your Poo Brown? | 23 January 2019 | |
| 6 | How To Grow A Brain | 30 January 2019 | |
| 7 | What Thumbs Are For | 30 January 2019 | |
| 8 | How Your Reflexes Can Save You | 13 February 2019 | |
| 9 | Why Is Sweat Salty | 20 February 2019 | |
| 10 | Get Your Body Moving! | 27 February 2019 | |
| 11 | Why Are Some People Faster Than Others? | 6 March 2019 | |
| 12 | Is My Body Electric? | 13 March 2019 | |
| 13 | The Body Roadtrip! | 20 March 2019 | |
| 14 | The Ouch! Awards | 27 March 2019 | |
| :: |
Series 8 (2019)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Summary | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | We're Having a Baby | 11 September 2019 | |
| 2 | Doctors Face Off | 18 September 2019 | ||
| 3 | There's a Lizard in the Lab | 25 September 2019 | ||
| 4 | Loud, LOUD, LOUDER! | 2 October 2019 | ||
| 5 | What Are Vaccinations For? | 9 October 2019 | ||
| 6 | Slime, Snot and Bogies | 16 October 2019 | ||
| 7 | Flexible Arms and Triple Jumping | 23 October 2019 | ||
| 8 | Knobbly Knees and What They Are For | 30 October 2019 | ||
| 9 | Your Brilliant Brain and Sparky Signals | 6 November 2019 | ||
| 10 | All Hail King Xand | 13 November 2019 | ||
| 11 | It's a Tug-O-War! | 20 November 2019 | ||
| 12 | Xand Goes Pop! | 27 November 2019 | ||
| 13 | What Happened Next? | Meeting up with people from previous episodes to see how they are now. | 4 December 2019 | |
| 14 | The Ouch! Awards 2 | 11 December 2019 | ||
| 15 | Food, Poo and You! | 18 December 2019 | ||
| :: |
''Do Try This at Home'' (2020)
::data[format=table]
| No. in series | Name | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bones | They do two "do try this at home" experiments. |
| 2 | Lungs | They look into lungs. |
| 3 | Taste | They see your taste buds. |
| 4 | Mucus | They make snot rockets. |
| 5 | Poo | They make a poo factory. |
| 6 | Bacteria | They show you bacteria. |
| 7 | Membranes | They show you what membranes are. |
| 8 | Fingerprints | Dr Xand find out who ate his "Treats 4 Xand". |
| 9 | Eyes | They show you how to find your blind spot. |
| 10 | Hearing | They show you how to make rice dance with a soundbox. |
| :: |
Series 9 (2020–21)
::data[format=table]
| Series | Episode | Name | Summary | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | Virus Alert! | Coronavirus Special | 5 May 2020 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | 13 January 2021 | ||
| 3 | Stick Your Tongue Out! | 20 January 2021 | ||
| 4 | Dr Scorpion | 27 January 2021 | ||
| 5 | You're Having a Laugh! | 3 February 2021 | ||
| 6 | Superhero Ribs | 10 February 2021 | ||
| 7 | Doctor Alert! | 17 February 2021 | ||
| 8 | Snot, Snot, Snot! | 24 February 2021 | ||
| 9 | How to Train a Brain | 3 March 2021 | ||
| 10 | Stinky Dr Xand! | 10 March 2021 | ||
| 11 | Blink and You'll Miss It! | 17 March 2021 | ||
| 12 | The Ouch Awards 3! | 24 March 2021 | ||
| :: |
References
References
- (25 September 2012). "Operation Ouch: Brand new 13-part medical series for CBBC". BBC Media Centre.
- "Operation Ouch!". BBC.
- Tuchow, Ryan. (17 June 2019). "Operation Ouch! to be adapted for US". [[Brunico Communications]].
- "Operation Ouch". BBC.
- "Operation Ouch! Series 3".
- "Biographies". Chris and Xand van Tulleken Website.
- (6 September 2012). "Interview with Dr Chris and Dr Xand van Tulleken". BBC Media Centre.
- "Operation Ouch! – Hospital Takeover Live!". BBC.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::