Review by C.J. Bunce
You will feel every gut punch in the BBC medical drama This is Going to Hurt, an adaptation of the book by former doctor Adam Kay and his immersion into the National Health Service system, the corresponding PTSD trauma from his understaffed neonatal ward, and the trials of balancing a life as a gay man within the economic class wars of modern day London. It’s a limited series of only seven episodes, but you’ll feel like you lived with each of the leads for an entire year. The authenticity of Ben Whishaw as Kay and Ambika Mod as a junior doctor named Shruti Acharya couldn’t be more believable and impressive.
Its gory, gross, and real look at pregnancy and the birth process in all the worst case scenarios–the stuff you show your kids to make sure they never (ever) get pregnant. Women are operated on, cut, sewn up, and generally processed like slabs in a system that doesn’t seem to care how many hours doctors work or if they are really prepared for each day’s onslaught of triage, blood, and screaming. For any doctor with a speck of empathy, it’s just too much to bear. No story like this could work without the humor, which arrives primarily via Whishaw’s asides to the viewer in rapid-fire breaches of the fourth wall. And that makes it the modern day spiritual successor to M*A*S*H. This is Going to Hurt is streaming now on Netflix.
That’s right, you don’t need the Korean War as a background when you have this British NHS obstetrics and gynecology ward, as far as the government inadequately funds its purposes–according to Kay’s story, which is a fictionalized version of his book. Dr. Shruti Acharya is a mirror image of Dr. Kay, but neither realize it. Both are driven to be effective in their profession, both are their own worst enemies. Kay is demanding of himself even more than his underling, but his ruthless, cold, and demeaning manner does not engender him to friendships–at work or home. This is bad because he’s dating and living with a designer, Harry, played by Rory Fleck Byrne (The Foreigner, Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders), and Adam refuses to share the struggles of his work with his partner.
Whishaw is a powerhouse performer, and the series is a gift to TV viewers, since the BAFTA/Academy Award-worthy performer brings that same give-it-your-all gravitas to this role as he did in Black Doves and The Hour. Ambika Mod is perfectly cast as the put-upon, ill-fated junior doctor who can never seem to live up to Kay’s expectations, or that of anyone of the hospital staff. That includes a roster of great characters resmbling people all of us have met at one time or another. Michele Austin (Black Mirror, Death in Paradise) plays Tracy, a demanding nurse who threatens Kay’s career. Alex Jennings (The Phoenician Scheme, Unforgotten, MobLand) plays Kay’s boss–willing to bend the rules, eager to flaunt his wealth, success, and influence, and leave only bread crumbs for Kay to collect. But best of all is Ashley McGuire (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Gentlemen) as the brash, foul-talking, hardened professional Miss Houghton. She is as badass as anyone you’ve seen in any medical drama.
Other supporting actors of note include Sara Kestelman (Zardoz, Lady Jane) as a mouthy elder patient who shares a strange and lovely connection with Kay. Josie Walker (Andor, EastEnders) plays the doomsday hospital staffer. And Harriet Walter (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Black Sails, Sense and Sensibility) plays Kay’s arrogant, intolerant, and demanding mother.
The most charged and poignant thread follows Kay and a naïve and ignorant patient named Erika (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s Hannah Onslow) whose baby almost dies as it is delivered prematurely. Kay wanted Erika to stay for tests, but his boss says to send her home as the ward needed space for others. Kay spends a part of each episode looking in on the baby in the natal ICU. Kay’s sister leans on Erika to file a complaint against the hospital, which is dismissed, only for a co-worker to anonymously file it again against Kay. This kicks in Kay’s PTSD of managing the lives and deaths of hundreds of people, and fair warning, the drama is so piercing it could trigger anyone suffering from PTSD.
The contrast between the life and death drama and the biting humor couldn’t be better handled. You could actually see Whishaw play Hawkeye Pierce in a reboot of M*A*S*H. For medical drama fans, this is top tier stuff you won’t want to miss. A great challenger to The Offer as best drama of 2022, This is Going to Hurt is now streaming on Netflix.
