--- title: "This Is Going to Hurt: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/this-is-going-to-hurt/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/this-is-going-to-hurt" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # This Is Going to Hurt (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 9 reviews: 9 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unanimous in approving and nearly so in tone: most critics find the adaptation of Adam Kay’s memoir both funny and sad, often in the same scene, and praise it for showing the exhaustion and understaffing of a maternity ward without softening anything. The praise gathers around Ben Whishaw, whose prickly, blood-soaked junior doctor is described as hard to like and hard to stop watching. Several critics note that the character’s arrogance and bitterness are left intact rather than sanded down. Reservations are few and small. The Telegraph finds some of the vulgarity carried over from the book unwelcome, and The Guardian, the coolest of the nine, treats it as a solid addition to a familiar line of unflinching NHS dramas rather than anything new. The Evening Standard is alone in putting Ambika Mod ahead of Whishaw, and Empire is the only one to credit the directors, Lucy Forbes and Tom Kingsley. The spread is narrow and nobody dislikes it. ## Radio Times — Lauren Morris Rating 5/5. 7 February 2022. The critic calls the series a hilarious yet heart-breaking tribute to the NHS and an emotional rollercoaster. They single out Ben Whishaw's excellent performance as the initially unlikeable but compelling Adam. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/this-is-going-to-hurt-review/) ## The Times — Carol Midgley Rating ★★★★★. 8 February 2022. The adaptation is excellent and succeeds at being both laugh-out-loud funny and profoundly sad, with Ben Whishaw excelling as the exhausted, blood-soaked junior doctor navigating pandemonium. It captures the gallows humour and grim realities of understaffed maternity wards without sentimentality. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/this-is-going-to-hurt-review-bbc-adaptation-adam-kay-memoir-fnl2ks2dt) ## Empire — Boyd Hilton Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2022. The critic praises the series for mixing tragedy and comedy to powerful effect and turning personal experiences into compelling TV. They highlight Ben Whishaw's superbly judged performance and the vivid direction by Lucy Forbes and Tom Kingsley. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/this-is-going-to-hurt/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2022. This superlative adaptation is funny, chaotic and heartbreaking, delivering a nuanced tribute to the NHS through its mix of dark humour, stress and anger at systemic failures. Standout performances, especially from Ambika Mod, bring to life the disillusionment and resilience of junior doctors. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/this-is-going-to-hurt-review-bbc-one-iplayer-ben-whishaw-adam-kay-b981133.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2022. The critic deems it one of the best medical dramas in years for its emotionally complex and uneasily hilarious examination of the NHS. They single out Ben Whishaw's prickly, funny character study for praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/this-is-going-to-hurt-1235154204/) ## IndieWire — Steve Greene Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 July 2022. The critic describes the series as another strong 2022 TV portrait of burnout. They highlight its dark humor and the visceral anxiety around the blurred boundaries of a demanding job. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/this-is-going-to-hurt-ben-whishaw-amc-medical-drama-burnout-1234742531/) ## The Telegraph — Anita Singh Rating 4/5. 9 February 2022. Ben Whishaw delivers a strong performance in this warts-and-all portrait of chaotic NHS life on the labour ward, offering valuable insight despite some vulgar elements carried over from the source material. The series benefits from Whishaw humanising the central character while showing the relentless pace and personal toll on staff. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/going-hurt-review-ben-whishaw-delivers-warts-and-all-portrait/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2022. The BBC adaptation of Adam Kay’s memoir is a worthy successor to other unflinching NHS dramas, depicting the exhaustion, bullying and resource shortages faced by junior doctors without softening the protagonist’s bitterness or arrogance. It highlights the life-and-death pressures and systemic issues in obstetrics and gynaecology through graphic, realistic scenes. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/feb/08/this-is-going-to-hurt-review-ben-whishaw-stars-in-a-realism-packed-adaptation) ## Paste — Shane Ryan Rating 9.7/10. 2 June 2022. The series is spectacular and a heartbreaking, hilarious hit that conveys the grim realities of junior doctors' lives with grim realism while remaining hugely funny and watchable. It balances searing sadness with biting humor and educational value through its focus on the protagonist's experiences on an underfunded NHS ward. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/this-is-going-to-hurt/this-is-going-to-hurt-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/this-is-going-to-hurt.md