What does the former England rugby captain Kyran Bracken know about the NHS? Refreshingly little as it turns out, but he does have some painfully funny experiences of urgent care to share. They'll have you in stitches. In a packed episode we also find out why leading doctors are accusing Covid-19 of xenophobia and why new variants of Public Health …

We planned to pack this week's Placemat with hard news, insightful commentary and vital information about the NHS. Instead you'll have to settle for some moderately ill-informed banter and a few jingles. Dr Mike Smith, John Bennett and Julian Patterson discuss Matt Hancock's Chinese room service bill and the almost equally impressive cost of the te…

This week the team discuss Matt Hancock's denial that NHS staff faced shortages of PPE at the start of the pandemic. Then they go on national TV to thank each other. Our special guest Phil Hammond, Private Eye medical correspondent, comedian and doctor tells us about his own very special contribution to patient safety. Meanwhile, Dr Pete Turton tra…

In the first episode of The Placemat, we meet the diverse team of middle-aged, male presenters talking about the health service – which is a really terrible idea unless they’re Julian Patterson, John Bennett and Dr Mike Smith. And luckily they are. The first of what could be several episodes covers wetsuits in the boardroom, the problems caused by …