We were delighted to see a familiar face on CBBC's latest series of the popular children's medical programme, Operation Ouch!

The series features Dr Chris, Dr Xand and Dr Ronx as they explore the ins and outs of the human body in a variety of experiments. In series 12, 11 year old Isaac is one of the 'OUCHERS', a group of children with different medical conditions who help to raise awareness and educate others.

Isaac has several medical conditions, alopecia universalis being one of them. We have been delighted to welcome Isaac to different Alopecia UK events over the years. We caught up with him to find out more about his time as an OUCHER..

What made you want to become an OUCHER on the latest series of Operation Ouch?

I really wanted to be on Operation Ouch to help other kids with differences to see they aren’t alone. And I wanted kids to see that it isn’t scary going to hospital appointments.

What was the best bit about filming for the show?

The best part of filming was feeling like a celebrity! I got to be filmed at home, at a hospital appointment and at my old school doing sports. I really liked that some of my friends could be on camera when they filmed our after-school football session. The videographers had been all over the world and had worked on shows like Planet Earth, Dr Who and Michael McIntyre's live comedy shows!

What would you like to be when you are older? Does it involve going on TV?

I really want to be a footballer when I'm older, and when I retire I could be a commentator so yes, tv is hopefully something that will feature in my future! If not, I would like to do an art show for kids!!

How did Isaac end up on Operation Ouch? What prompted you to apply?

Isaac wrote to Operation Ouch during the first lockdown. He told them about himself and his conditions (low insulin-like growth factor, which has actually since got back to a normal level 😍, chronological bone age delay, alopecia universalis, multiple food allergies, asthma and eczema). He explained how much he was enjoying the show and learning from it. They replied with lots of autographs and stickers but said unfortunately they weren’t filming and it was uncertain if the show would come back, but if if did they would be in touch! Fast forward to March 2023 and I had received a call asking if Isaac was still happy to be assessed for going on the show. By July he had done 3 sets of films in order to become an OUCHER. 

How do you feel to see Isaac sharing his experiences with a huge TV audience?

We are bursting with pride that Isaac felt he wanted to share his experiences with the world. It takes real courage to do something like this, even as an adult, and especially with him being just about to move up into high school in September last year. However in his usual amazing Isaac fashion, he enjoyed every second, felt great telling other kids ‘its not just you’ ‘dont be frightened of hospitals’ ‘enjoy your life’ etc. 

You can watch Operation Ouch on BBCiPlayer. Isaac appears in Episode 1 of Series 12 and we look forward to seeing him again as the series progresses.