A Very English Scandal‘s Ben Whishaw has signed on to star in BBC Two and AMC’s This is Going to Hurt, based on Adam Kay’s bestselling memoir. Kay created the series and is adapting his memoir as well as serving as an executive producer.
Whishaw will star as Kay in the television adaptation. In My Skin‘s Lucy Forbes is on board as the series’ lead director.
“Ben is quite simply one of the finest actors our country has ever produced and a bona fide national treasure. There’s simply no one who could do a better job of playing (a much more handsome version of) me,” said Kay. “Best still, I now have an answer to the standard dinner party question: ‘Who would play you in the story of your life?'”
This is Going to Hurt will be produced by SISTER (Chernobyl) in association with Terrible Productions. Naomi de Pear, Jane Featherstone, James Farrell, Mona Qureshi, Kristin Jones, and Dan McDermott will serve as executive producers.
“I am proud to join this exciting adaptation of Adam Kay’s terrific book This is Going to Hurt based on his experiences working in the NHS. It’s an honest, hilarious, heartbreaking look at the great institution and the army of unsung heroes who work there under the most stressful conditions,” stated Whishaw. “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. I look forward to telling this story with director Lucy Forbes and the great team at SISTER to bring Adam’s words to life and I am really grateful to be a part of it.”
Commenting on Ben Whishaw’s casting, director Lucy Forbes said, “This hilarious and heartbreaking view of the NHS, that we have so long taken for granted, feels more relevant than ever – and what better person to play Adam than the wonderful Whishaw! So looking forward to working with Ben, and the SISTER team to bring Adam Kay’s painfully funny book to life.”
The Plot, Courtesy of BBC Two and AMC:
“Kay’s diaries, scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, tell the unvarnished truth of life as a doctor working in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Whishaw is set to play the fictional version of Adam, 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. The series sees Adam 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.
This is Going to Hurt is a show about trying to be a good doctor in a system which can sometimes feel like it’s working against you. Like the book, the series will depict life on and off the hospital ward with frank and often shocking honesty. The series rejoices in the highs, while pulling no punches in its depiction of the gut-wrenching lows, and celebrates the everyday superstars of the health service who keep our hospitals running.
Blisteringly funny, politically enraging and frequently heart-breaking, Kay’s adaptation continues to be a stark reminder of the vital role played by the health service and is a clarion call to continue to support our medics, at a time when that message is more urgent than ever.”
