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This is Going to Hurt adaptation is here - see first look at Ben Whishaw as Adam Kay 

Will you be watching the grisly (but funny) medical series? 


ben whishaw
Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
On 25 June 2021
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The first look for the much-anticipated series This is Going to Hurt is finally here, and sees Ben Whishaw star as Adam Kay, the author behind the popular memoir. 

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The BBC has confirmed that filming has recently concluded, meaning that the show is likely to premiere in late 2021 or early 2022. The series will follow Adam, a doctor who we find wending his way through the ranks of hospital hierarchy – junior enough to suffer the crippling hours, but senior enough to face a constant barrage of terrifying responsibilities. 

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The synopsis reads: “Adam is clinging to his personal life as he is increasingly overwhelmed by stresses at work: the 97-hour weeks, the life and death decisions, and all the while knowing the hospital parking meter is earning more than him.” 

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The series will also star Ambika Mod as Shruti, “a young junior doctor just starting in obstetrics and gyneacology. Naturally bright, diligent and caring, she has everything it takes to be a great doctor, but the job still finds ways to throw her into chaos and doubt”. The Crown star Alex Jennings will also star as Mr Lockhart, Adam’s dowering boss, and Killing Eve’s Harriet Walter as Veronique, Adam’s mother. 

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Ben and Ambika star

The synopsis reads: “The series is based on Adam Kay’s award-winning international multi-million selling memoir of the same name, which has sold over 2.5 million copies to date and has been translated into 37 languages. The series, which is created, written and executive produced by Kay himself, rejoices in the laugh-out-loud highs, while pulling no punches in its depiction of the gut-wrenching lows of life on a gynaecology and obstetrics ward. 

“Blisteringly funny, politically enraging and frequently heart-breaking, This is Going to Hurt remains a stark reminder of the vital role played by the NHS and is a clarion call to support our medics, a message that is more urgent than ever.” 

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