Ben Whishaw cast in BBC adaptation of Adam Kay’s This Is Going To Hurt

Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, A Very English Scandal) has been cast in Adam Kay’s forthcoming BBC series This Is Going To Hurt, based on his award-winning, bestselling memoir about life as a junior doctor.

Kay’s diaries, scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, tell the unvarnished truth about a doctor working in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Whishaw is set to play the fictional version of Adam, who wends 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 series sees Adam clinging to his personal life as he is increasingly overwhelmed by severe 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.

Whishaw says: “It’s an honest, hilarious, heart-breaking look at the great institution and the army of unsung heroes who work there under the most stressful conditions.

“The Covid-19 crisis has now shed even more light on their great work and underlines the necessity to support the NHS and its workers.”