Adam Kay's book to be turned into TV series

Thursday 7th September 2017, 11:56am

Adam Kay's book about his time as a junior doctor is to be turned into a TV series
A 12-way auction has been completed on the TV rights for This is Going To Hurt

This is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries Of A Junior Doctor, the debut book from doctor turned comedian Adam Kay, is to be made into a TV series.

Sister Pictures, the production company founded by Jane Featherstone that makes shows such as Flowers and Humans, have acquired the television rights following a 12-way auction.

The book, published today, details the six years Kay spent as a junior doctor. The publishers explain: "It is a blistering first-hand account of life working for the NHS in all its joy, pain, sacrifice, hilarity, horror and maddening bureaucracy."

Kay, who worked as a junior doctor between 2004 and 2010, had previously turned his experiences into a critically acclaimed sell-out show which ran at the Edinburgh Festival and Soho Theatre.

Kay started his comedy career via Amateur Transplants, the comic band who came to prominence in 2005 with their expletive-laden song about the reliability of the London Underground. He has since gone on to become a TV writer too, with previous credits including Mongrels, Crims and Flat TV.

Naomi De Pear, who will Executive Produce the series with Katie Carpenter, says: "Adam's book is a visceral and hilarious reminder of how brave, ridiculous, beautiful and stupid human beings and the systems they create are. I snorted with laughter on every page and was left completely heartbroken. We're honoured to be able to work with Adam on adapting his vision for television. The NHS is a magnificent beast and it's imperative that this story be told now."

Adam Kay comments: "I couldn't be happier about working with Sister to bring This is Going to Hurt to television. Jane, Naomi, Katie and the whole team are fantastic, with a brilliant vision for the show, and a hard and rightly won reputation for producing world-class television. I'll try my best not to ruin their reputation."

Kay will now start work on adapting his book for television. It is not currently clear whether a TV channel is attached to the project or not yet, but further details will be released in due course.

Adam Kay - This Is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries Of A Junior Doctor

Adam Kay was a junior doctor from 2004 until 2010, before a devastating experience on a ward caused him to reconsider his future. He kept a diary throughout his training, and This Is Going To Hurt intersperses tales from the front line of the NHS with reflections on the current crisis. The result is a first-hand account of life as a junior doctor in all its joy, pain, sacrifice and maddening bureaucracy, and a love letter to those who might at any moment be holding our lives in their hands.

First published: Thursday 7th September 2017

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