This Is Going To Hurt TV Show Review: A Hidden Gem

This Is Going To Hurt is a BBC TV show about Adam Kay, played by Ben Whishaw, who is a junior doctor working in the obstetrics and gynecology ward at the NHS. It is a fictional show based on the real Adam Kay’s memoir, This Is Going To Hurt. While it is at times addictively hilarious, the story is grounded in the reality of being an overworked and mentally drained doctor.

As a British show exclusively on AMC+, I think this series had an almost nonexistent marketing campaign in the US. Which is a shame, because I absolutely adore this show and most people probably have no idea it exists! It is darkly humorous in all of the right ways. If you love dark comedy and would not shy away from a hospital drama, I cannot recommend this show enough.

Adam is a really complex and sometimes despicable character who is haunted by his mistakes and is constantly paranoid - something that is perpetuated by his obvious lack of sleep. Shruti is a junior doctor working under Adam who becomes the heart of the show. She provides the perspective of a new doctor being thrown into the unknown and dealing with her own personal crisis of understanding what being a doctor really means.

Ben Whishaw plays the sardonic and sometimes really unlikable, fictional version of Adam Kay. Whishaw is such a fantastic actor and so great at sarcastic comedy. I think my being obsessed with this show has a lot to do with me loving Ben Whishaw in this role. Adam as a character is perpetually tired, grumpy, and frankly traumatized from his never-ending cycle of work at the hospital. He is hilarious with his quips, but also downright awful to his coworkers and especially the doctors who work under him. While you may hate his behavior, this show does a good job showing how his upbringing and his daily trauma have shaped him to be the way that he is. And luckily, the humor is always present so that he isn’t 100% miserable to watch all the time. Truly, the jokes and the comedic delivery are top notch.

This show does not glorify the role of a doctor. It shows how people in the NHS are overworked, underpaid, and often forced to problem-solve for life-or-death situations. This theme is very well translated from the book, where the real life Adam Kay masked darkness with humor, but never downplayed the reality of how mentally and physically draining the work is.

I had a feeling this show was going to be good because of Ben Whishaw and how much I enjoyed the book. While dark, I think it’s wickedly funny and enjoyable. Sometimes the medical scenes are a bit graphic, but ultimately, it is so worth a watch. Put your free trial of AMC+ to good use 😂!