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This Is Going to Hurt ending explained: what happens to Adam?

Warning: this article contains discussion of suicide


this is going to hurt ending
Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
On 8 March 2022
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Adam Kay's new comedy-drama, This Is Going to Hurt, is well underway on BBC One and is going down a storm with viewers. 

MORE: Will there be a second series of BBC drama This is Going to Hurt?

If, like us, you've already binge-watched the entire series and need a breakdown of what happened in the final episode, then look no further. 

WATCH: What did you think of the BBC medical drama?

This Is Going to Hurt ending explained

At the start of the final instalment, we find Adam (Ben Whishaw) delivering babies at the NHS hospital two months after the devastating bombshell that dropped at the end of the penultimate episode. 

Adam is still wounded after discovering that it was, in fact, Tracy (Michele Austin) who anonymously reported him to the General Medical Council regarding his professional conduct and treatment of Erika.

MORE: Did you spot this royal family member in This is Going to Hurt?

MORE: Where is This is Going to Hurt filmed?

At a memorial held for Shruti (Ambika Mod) in the hospital car park, Ms Houghton unveils a tree planted in her honour in front of the late SHO's colleagues and family. Ms Houghton makes a speech describing Shruti as a "committed and dedicated doctor" and also says: "While she was clearly doing well at work, obviously there were other forces at play."

this is going to hurt adam bbc© Photo: BBC

We find Adam two months after Shruti's sad passing

Adam approaches Ms Houghton and challenges her comment about Shruti being happy at work, saying that there should be an investigation. She replies: "If you want to change it, become a government minister," explaining that there is nothing to be done due to limited hospital funding. 

He then finds Mr. Lockhart (Alex Jennings) in the car park, who tells him to inform the GMC that Shruti mistakenly told him that Lockhart had consented to sending Erika home, therefore pinning the blame on her. "No-one loses this way," says Mr Lockhart. 

Adam heads to his tribunal and is haunted by images of Shruti in his mind, telling him to pin the blame on her. "You treated me like [expletive] when I was alive. What does one more time matter?"

this is going to hurt  adam guilty© Photo: BBC

Adam feels guilty about Shruti's death

We then find Adam standing in front of the panel. He says: "I was working alongside an SHO colleague, Shruti Acharya–" before it cuts to his lawyer revealing that Adam has not been struck off after the tribunal. 

Later, Adam meets his ex-boyfriend Harry (Rory Fleck Byrne) in a coffee shop. He breaks down and tells him about the intense guilt he feels for Shruti's death. He asks Harry to be his plus one at Greg's (Tom Durant-Pritchard) wedding, but Harry doesn't seem convinced about the idea. 

On his way into work, Adam receives a call from Greg who expresses his fears about his wife not feeling her baby kick in her stomach for 90 minutes. Adam puts his concerns to rest before asking if his recruiter friend has any jobs going. 

MORE: This is Going to Hurt: viewers all notice same thing about episode four

After arriving at the hospital, Adam finds Erika, who is about to take her baby home. She gives Adam two 'Best Doctor' mugs - one for him and one for Shruti. He stops himself from telling Erika about Shruti's death. 

adam private hospital© Photo: BBC

Adam manages to save a baby during a difficult birth

Adam is then called into one of the delivery rooms where a baby's shoulders have become stuck during birth. If he doesn't deliver the baby within five minutes, it could result in brain damage. 

He manages to save the baby by breaking the mother's pelvic bone in an extremely tense scene. Tracy praises Adam for his work and the two decide to bury the hatchet. 

MORE: The real story behind heartbreaking yet hilarious new drama This is Going to Hurt

Later on, Adam attends Greg's wedding and gives his wife a personal baby monitoring kit as a gift, which will allow her to hear the baby's heartbeat whenever she uses it. She is touched by the present. 

erika

Erika gives Adam a 'Best Doctor' mug

Halfway through the wedding, Harry turns up late after going to the wrong venue. The two take a bottle of wine from the reception and escape to the river. They jump in for a swim and Adam tells Harry that he wants them to get back together and that he is prepared to quit medicine to save the relationship. 

Harry tells Adam that he doesn't think he can quit because medicine is such a huge part of his life and always will be. 

In a flashback to the tribunal, we learn that Adam told the panel that Shruti had taken her own life. He explained that on the morning Shruti died, she found out that she had passed her medical exams but "didn't see this as a success". "The idea of carrying on working in a broken system under shoddy conditions didn't feel like any kind of future".

adam with boyfriend© Photo: BBC

Adam and Harry spend time together at Greg's wedding

He then goes on to say that doctors, midwives and all members of the medical profession don't do the job for the money but "because they care" and that they go the extra mile for the patients. "You could do yourselves a favour to remember that once in a while".

Shortly afterwards, we see Adam arrive in the hospital car park for another work shift when he spots a pregnant woman going into labour in the back seat of her car. He successfully delivers the baby and hints that she should name the baby after him: "Adam is a nice name." The credits roll. 

The full boxset of This Is Going to Hurt is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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