The broadcaster talks being a proud twin, a unwilling pilot, and a keen advocate for a better food system

Being a twin is weird. As a medical doctor with a public profile and a PhD involving genetics, it is strange to have a clone of yourself wandering through the world. We embrace the confusion when people mistake us for each other. The state of twinness is an oddity, but it’s one of the most wonderful things in my life.

Our baby brother Jonathan is the glue that binds us. He’s in his early 40s and more easygoing than we are. He’s the carbon rod in the nuclear reactor, soaking up neutrons, stopping it from melting down. When Xand, my twin brother, and I get into a huge, pathetic row he defuses the bomb in his funny, charming way.