Ben Whishaw: 'You literally take a scalpel and slice through the flesh'

Darkly-funny TV series This Is Going To Hurt was based on a real doctor's memoirs

Ben Whishaw in This Is Going To Hurt, on BBC. 

“Who would play you in a story of your life?” is a go-to dinner party conundrum. For most, the chances of that scenario playing out in the real world are slim to none. For doctor-turned-comedy writer Adam Kay, it’s a question that required an immediate and absolute answer: Ben Whishaw.

Best known for his roles as Q in the Bond franchise and Norman Scott in A Very English Scandal, Whishaw’s medical expertise, unlike Kay’s, is somewhat limited. That needn’t matter though, for what the actor lacks in prenatal knowledge, he more than makes up for in delivery – of lines and fictional babies.

Donning a set of scrubs and heading straight on to the set of a labour ward as part of new seven-part BBC drama This Is Going To Hurt, the darkly comedic on-screen world is an adaptation of Kay’s multi-million selling memoir of the same name.

“I must be the only person in the country who hadn’t heard of it,” announces Whishaw, 41, with a slight shrug, describing his lack of prior knowledge as “a bit embarrassing”.

After making up for lost time with the source material, Whishaw recounts the  experience of researching the world of obstetrics and gynaecology. Aided by three on-set medical advisers, a  few afternoons of hands-on training prepped the cast for filming courtesy of Covid-induced lockdown measures.

“We’ve learned how to do Caesareans,” announces the actor. “I had no idea that it was as basic a process as it is. You literally take a scalpel and slice through the flesh, then you literally put your hands in and pull the muscles apart, and then you shove your fist in and grab the baby.”

Ben Whishaw and Ambika Mod in This Is Going To Hurt.

 Dubbed a “love letter to the NHS” by Kay and Whishaw, the series was born out of Kay’s diary entries, scrawled between sleepless nights and endless overtime during his stint as a junior doctor in the UK's health service.

Noting a direct adaptation of his diaries would have turned the series into what Kay describes as a “one-man sketch show”, the former doctor, 41, says the TV adaptation opted for a different route, expanding the world contained in the pages of his memoir.

Reassuring fans of the book that “the greatest hits are all here” – whether in the form of anecdotal monologues to camera or played-out scenes – Whishaw explains that the series and memoir “go hand in hand”.

“A lot of the humour that’s in the show is just drawn directly from real-life stuff that happened to Adam. And to a degree, a lot of the jokes are Adam’s way of coping, I suppose, with the pressures of being a doctor,” adds Whishaw. “I had no idea, really, of the pressures that these people are under.” 

With directing duties shared between Lucy Forbes (The End Of The F***ing World) and  Tom Kingsley (Stath Lets Flats), the series stars newcomer Ambika Mod as Shruti, a young junior doctor yet to be tainted by the stresses of hospital life.

Joined by  Alex Jennings (The Crown, A Very English Scandal) as Adam’s domineering boss Mr Lockhart, and  Harriet Walter (The Crown, Succession) as Veronique, Adam’s mother, This Is Going To Hurt has attracted a who’s who of acting talent.

Like countless people up and down the country, Whishaw says the notion of stepping into a hospital fills him with dread. Despite this, it was a routine the actor quickly became accustomed to – albeit swapping a working hospital for the ultra-realistic confines of a purpose-built set.

Immersing himself in a world laden with prosthetics capable of inducing a   visceral reaction, the star recounts a number of particularly memorable scenes now permanently ingrained in his brain.

“Some of the funniest ones have been, in the gynaecology ward, having to remove various items from various orifices. They’ve been very funny… There was also a scene that I particularly love when a woman wants to eat her own placenta because she’s read that it’s a good thing for her and the baby, and, well, it gets messy.” 

Highlighting the comedic highs alongside the heart-wrenching lows of the profession, Kay’s work – both as an author and screenplay writer – reflects the NHS as it was when his diaries were first written in 2006. Describing some of the memoir’s fluid-drenched tales as “repulsive”, Kay says they depict the realities of a system “with all of its flaws”.

“The big thing in terms of changing things was making sure that I didn’t go to prison,” announces Kay in a matter-of-fact manner. “As a result I had to change a lot of the clinical situations… and also, I had to change a lot of people in my personal life, because I still want some of them to speak to me.” 

And while Whishaw says he hopes viewers find themselves thoroughly entertained by the series, he’s quick to highlight the show’s  serious agenda – politically and socially.

Reflecting on how the timing of the project couldn’t be more apt, he adds: “We’ve all been more aware than normal, probably, of just how much we owe to the people who work for the NHS.

“I think we’re all still reeling from the last couple of years, but certainly I feel like, in making the show, there’s a real sense of purpose amongst the cast and crew and everyone. This feels like something important to do, in a sense.” 

• This Is Going To Hurt starts on BBC One on Tuesday, February 8