Is 'This is going to hurt' based on a true story? Why the witty medical mini-series is a must-see
Three years after it first aired on AMC and took audiences on a dark, funny, yet devastating journey, 'This Is Going To Hurt' finally found its way onto Netflix on November 19. The medical drama, which can be binged in under seven hours, takes audiences through the hectic lives of practicing doctors in an understaffed, but overcrowded, medical system. The show, based on Adam Kay's own memoirs, centres around the professional and personal life of a struggling junior doctor, played by Ben Whishaw of 'Black Doves' fame. The limited BBC series, released in 2022, has a staggering 96% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and has four BAFTA TV Awards.
Although 'This Is Going To Hurt' is based on the real-life experience of Kay, several characters and locations have been fictionalized to suit narrative purposes. For instance, the St. Clare's Hospital depicted on the Netflix show, where most of the action takes place, is based on a real-life West London Hospital known as the Ealing Hospital, located at 601 Uxbridge Road in Southall, as reported by Cinemaholic. On the other hand, the character of junior doctor Shruti Acharya is fictional and has been derived from the numerous junior doctors Kay worked with over the years.
Kay has extensive experience working in the obstetrics and gynaecology departments, and this is reflected well in the show. His familiarity with the pressures of the NHS is in the opening scene itself, where Adam (Ben Whishaw) wakes up in his car after an overnight shift he never truly left. The series throws viewers straight into the chaos as Adam rushes toward the hospital, only to encounter a woman in labor whose baby’s arm has already breached. Despite its dark humor, the show stirs up emotions as the characters fight burnout, high workloads, and split-second decision-making.
Kay and the other junior doctors are often torn between delivering their professional duties and finding time to recuperate. The show succeeds in portraying this dichotomy of the medical practitioners that often seeps into their personal relationships. And what contributed most to the success of 'This Is Going To Hurt' was its realism in portraying the U.K.'s NHS. Outside of portraying the doctors' hectic schedules, the series also finds joy in small triumphs that give the junior doctors enough motivation to carry on each day.
Even though 'This Is Going To Hurt' climbed up the heights of popularity both in the U.K. and with American audiences, who saw it first on AMC, the creator remained firm in his decision not to renew that show. He told TVZ, "There seemed to be a clear appetite for more, which was hugely flattering, but I had been thinking about this series for so long, for years and years, that I didn’t want to then rush out another one a year later."
