Shruti is the heart and soul of This Is Going to Hurt
Having read Adam Kay‘s non-fiction book, This Is Going to Hurt, I basically knew what to expect from the TV adaptation. So the inclusion of the new character Shruti was a very pleasant surprise.
Given that the book revolves around Kay (they were his personal junior doctor diaries, after all) and he is portrayed by Ben Whishaw, I assumed that he would be the centre of attention throughout the series, but that responsibility is shared with Shruti Acharya, played by comedian Ambika Mod in her first dramatic role.
I think Kay – who adapted his book for the show – made the perfect choice bringing in a co-lead as the character Adam is a prickly, cold and closed-off doctor who isn’t exactly nurturing to his proteges. On the other hand, Shruti (an amalgamation of people Kay worked with) is far more relatable and you feel more compassion for her.
Shruti is an Indian junior doctor who is struggling to find time to do her 12+ hour shift, study for her exams, and eat and sleep. She’s the audience’s eyes into the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology ward and begins as a deer in highlights, overwhelmed by the demands of the job and how much one person is expected to achieve on so little sleep. She grows in confidence and assertiveness over the course of the show and is eventually just like Adam – demoralising her underlings.
While Adam remained in virtually the same place from episode 1 to episode 7, Shruti had this substantial arc and growth, and I was surprised by how much I became invested in her journey. I cared about her in a way I didn’t about Adam, even though he’s supposed to be the star of the show. And that’s why the success of the series is largely down to the character of Shruti and Mod’s heartbreaking performance.
As a whole, I thought the show was fantastic and I hope everyone watches it and has a better understanding of what challenges NHS doctors face. They are chronically underfunded, under-resourced, and overtired and have to make life and death decisions and personal sacrifices constantly. Watching it, I wondered why anyone would want to be a doctor!
It’s not always dark and heavy though. Kay’s book made me laugh to the point of tears – the show isn’t quite that funny but it has dark humour throughout and made me cry for sad reasons a couple of times (I’m still not over episode six). It also deserves praise for accurately depicting how bloody and messy childbirth is, showing us what a fancy private hospital (or should I say hotel?) looks like and the performances of Whishaw, Rory Fleck Byrne (Harry) and Michele Austin (Tracy).
If you live in the UK and use NHS services, then you must absolutely watch this show. It’s so important.
On BBC One every Tuesday. All episodes now available on BBC iPlayer