Dr Ronx Ikharia in a promotional photo for The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System (BBC)
After appearing on TV screens in BBC documentary The Truth About Your Immune System recently, viewers took to Google and Twitter to find out more about presenter Dr Ronx Ikharia, an incredible trans and non-binary A&E doctor, role model, mentor and activist who uses they/them/their pronouns.
Dr Ronx has fronted other series in the past, most notably The Unshockable Dr Ronx on BBC Three. They also presented Channel 4 documentary Is COVID Racist? in November 2020. With their career clearly taking off, we decided it was high time to take a closer look at this LGBT+ icon and their work.
Who is Dr Ronx Ikharia, and what’s their background?
Dr Ronx Ikharia trained as an emergency medicine doctor, and self-funded their way through medical school after leaving home as a teenager, working part-time in retail and as a fashion model and dancer in music videos to pay for their tuition. They graduated in 2011.
After graduating, they worked as an expedition field medic in India before starting an A&E career. Dr Ronx has described their upbringing as “difficult”, and uses their own story to help inspire and motivate young people from similar backgrounds.
They work in Hackney, and volunteer their spare time to give inspirational talks to local teens. Other charity work Dr Ronx has been involved with includes raising £1,000 for Syrian refugees in 2017, and £2,000 to send more than 400 young people of colour in London’s East End to see Black Panther along with their parents and caregivers.
Their motto is: “You cannot be what you do not see.” They also work as a mentor, helping young people in Hackney with interview techniques and finding relevant work experience.
It was at one of their talks in Hackney that they were spotted by a TV presenter and offered their first presenting job, on a children’s’ TV show called Operation Ouch. After that, they fronted BBC Three’s The Unshockable Dr Ronx, giving consultations to people reluctant to go to hospital for treatment, often due to mental health or identity issues.
Other TV work of Dr Ronx Ikharia
Most recently, Dr Ronx presented The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System, the latest in a BBC science documentary series aimed at tackling “everyday issues that affect us all” as well as debunking myths. Each episode features different presenters and experts in their fields.
Dr Ronx lifted the lid on the multi-billion dollar health industry, which peddles products that promise to “boost” or supercharge our immune system – a fairly hot topic due to the current pandemic. They looked at what – if any – science backed up their companies’ claims. Many people celebrated the fact Dr Roux wore a trans flag pin during the episode. You can watch it on iPlayer here.
Is COVID Racist?
In 2020, Dr Ronx fronted the Channel 4 documentary Is COVID Racist? in response to the pandemic. In the show, they asked why such a disproportionate number of Black and minority ethnic people – including NHS staff – have died from COVID. The programme looked at genetics and pre-existing medical conditions, as well as wider societal issues like institutional racism.
Dr Ronx is an outspoken activist with a large Twitter and Instagram following. Most recently, they have been reacting to the US Capitol riots, condemning the pro-Trump mob of domestic terrorists who stormed the building.
On 6 January, they took to Twitter to write: “I am absolutely anguished by what is happening in Washington. When Black people rioted for Black lives they were called terrorists and the police tried to kill them. Trump has incited this protest and these angry men (mostly white) have said the security was easy to overwhelm!”