Best-selling book about a junior doctor adapted into television series
A best-selling book about the struggles of a junior doctor will be made into a new series for BBC Two.
This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay, a former doctor and now comedian and author, will adapt his personal account of life on the wards for the eight-part comedy-drama series.
The book topped the Sunday Times bestseller list and won the Sunday Times humour book of the year prize, and has been translated into 20 languages since it was published in 2017.
This Is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, Kay’s first book, is a non-fiction account of his years in medical training, based on his own diary. Described as “painfully funny” by Stephen Fry, the book details the brutal honesty of being a doctor for the NHS. It also covers political issues around the health care system. Kay said: “Junior doctors have a rather quiet voice compared to the politicians, which is understandable – you don’t have much spare time if you’re working 100 hour weeks. It’s been a huge privilege to have my diaries reach so many readers and it’s been absolutely humbling to see their reaction. I’m beyond delighted to now be able to share my story with a far wider audience and make the viewers of BBC Two laugh, cry and vomit.”
Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama, said: “The anarchic, laugh out loud tone of Adam’s memoir masks a frank, insightful and often visceral portrait of a committed young professional.”