Awkward days are now cured
Dr Jessen tones it down to treat more common complaints, writes Seanna Cronin
DR CHRISTIAN Jessen made a name for himself on the medical series Embarrassing Bodies.
As the name suggests, it was a show about weird, rare and awkward medical conditions and health issues, with patients willing to have their consultations filmed, nudity and all.
Dr Christian is back in a new series which focuses on more common complaints.
“I was a bit nervous at first that people would just want to go straight for the visual stuff again,” he tells The Guide. But it’s been really well received in the UK. “I think people are ready for a bit of a change.”
In the 10-part observational series Dr Christian Will See You Now, he treats a range of conditions while exploring the effects these conditions can have on patients’ self-image and relationships.
Working out of his state-of-the-art clinic, we follow the patients from their initial check-up to the specialist consultation, tests and treatments and then finally, get a glimpse of the after effect.
“You don’t see much body parts or things like that because that’s not really what it’s about,” he says.
“What we’re really doing in this show was to get inside people’s heads and show you what people find hard to say, the unspoken aspect to ill health.
“My job was really to drag this out of people and the revelations we got were really extraordinary.
“What a lot of people don’t realise is how you feel about your illness could be contributing to your illness.”
While the more holistic approach doesn’t always make visually riveting telly, it offers hope to viewers who may be suffering similar issues.
“As doctors we need to look at problems more holistically,” Dr Christian says.
“This (show) is my ideal of how a consultation would go. We should be looking after the whole patient.”