Royal Society of Medicine

Oh, my God! My castaway this week is the doctor Professor Dame Parveen Kumar, a gastroenterologist by specialism.

She's one of the most distinguished medics in the UK, formerly president of the British Medical Association and the Royal Society of Medicine.

In 2017, she was made a Dame, an honour that was upgraded to a Dame Grand Cross in 2026, the highest accolade the Crown can bestow on an individual for their contribution to public life.

As well as spending 45 years practicing in the NHS, she's lectured around the world and literally wrote the textbook on modern medicine.

The trio from Act 3 of Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss, sung by Felicity Lott, Natalie Dessai and Angelica Kirschlager, with the orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, conducted by Antonio Papano.

Parveen Kumar, we've talked about your textbook, but you have had so many major roles in medicine.

You've been president of the British Medical Association, a former president of the Royal Society of Medicine, founding non-executive director of the National Institute for Care Excellence, NICE.

And that's not even a complete list.