This Is Going to Hurt
London, 2006. Adam Kay is a junior doctor on an overstretched obstetrics and gynaecology ward, working brutal hours while his relationship and his nerves fray. Ben Whishaw plays Adam, talking straight to camera, with Ambika Mod as Shruti Acharya, a junior colleague struggling under the same pressure, and Alex Jennings as their consultant.
Where to watch
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This Is Going to Hurt isn’t streaming, or for rent or sale, on any service we track here right now.
Checked 25 Oct 2026. Services change their catalogues often; the service’s own page has the final word.
Our take
London, 2006. Adam Kay is a junior doctor on an overstretched obstetrics and gynaecology ward, working brutal hours while his relationship and his nerves fray. Ben Whishaw plays Adam, talking straight to camera, with Ambika Mod as Shruti Acharya, a junior colleague struggling under the same pressure, and Alex Jennings as their consultant.
Why watch It is as funny as it is upsetting, and it is clear about the cost of the job to the people doing it. Whishaw makes Adam both charming and hard to like, and Ambika Mod matches him as Shruti, the show's quiet conscience. Best for viewers who liked Fleabag's direct address or Scrubs at its darkest. Be aware it is graphic about birth and loss.
What to know
Adam Kay adapted his own bestselling memoir, a record of his years as a junior doctor in the NHS, and served as writer and executive producer. Sister Pictures won the rights at auction in 2017, and the BBC commissioned the series with AMC as co producer. Lucy Forbes directed the first four episodes and Tom Kingsley the last three.
The seven part series premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 8 February 2022 and reached AMC+ in the US that June. Harriet Walter plays Adam’s mother, Rory Fleck Byrne his boyfriend Harry, and Michele Austin a sharp witted midwife. Jarvis Cocker’s band Jarv Is wrote the score, with at least one song featuring Cocker’s lyrics in each episode, and released it as an album.
Where to start
It is a single closed series, so start with episode one. If it lands, Kay’s book is the natural follow up, and covers more of the cases that inspired the show.
Seasons & episodes
- Season 1
Cast & crew
More like this
More from BBC One
Quick answers
- Where can I watch This Is Going to Hurt?
- In Australia: Stan and Apple TV (buy). In Canada: Prime Video, AMC + and AMC+. In the US: Prime Video, Acorn TV and AMC+. In the UK: BBC iPlayer, Apple TV (buy) and Prime Video (buy).
- What is This Is Going to Hurt about?
- London, 2006. Adam Kay is a junior doctor on an overstretched obstetrics and gynaecology ward, working brutal hours while his relationship and his nerves fray. Ben Whishaw plays Adam, talking straight to camera, with Ambika Mod as Shruti Acharya, a junior colleague struggling under the same pressure, and Alex Jennings as their consultant.
- Who is in the cast of This Is Going to Hurt?
- This Is Going to Hurt stars Ben Whishaw as Adam Kay.
- When did This Is Going to Hurt start?
- This Is Going to Hurt premiered on 8 February 2022, with 1 season.
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