Born on 18 August 1978, Chris and Xand van Tulleken are identical twin brothers, medical doctors and TV presenters. On Thursday 29 June 2023, they will trace their family history on an episode of BBC One's Who Do You Think You Are? They will become the second pair of family members to appear on Who Do You Think You Are? together, after father and son Jack and Michael Whitehall did so in 2019.
1. A bit of a mouthful
Their full names are Alexander Gerald van Hoogenhouck-Tulleken (Xand) and Christoffer Rodolphe van Hoogenhouck-Tulleken (Chris). They are of Dutch descent.
2. Seven minutes
Chris is the older one of the twins and is seven minutes older than Xand.
3. Real doctors
The twins both studied medicine at Oxford University. Xand specialised in Tropical medicine and now focuses on research and training while Chris is a practicing doctor focusing on infectious diseases.
4. Double trouble
The pair both presented Channel 4’s Medicine Men Go Wild and BBC Two’s Trust Me, I’m a Doctor. Chris has also gained popularity from his BBC One two-part television special called The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs.
5. Saving the day
Chris was on the BBC documentary Blizzard: Race to the Pole, as the doctor to a team which recreated the 1911 race to the South Pole. He was also the expedition doctor for BBC Two’s Operation Iceberg as well as appearing in Celebrity Mastermind.