Bond star Ben Whishaw is to play junior doctor Adam Kay in a BBC adaptation of his NHS memoir This Is Going To Hurt.
The award-winning actor, 39, will star as doctor-turned-author Adam as he struggles through life on the wards in the comedy-drama series.
Ben – Q in the Bond films and the voice of Paddington – said he is “proud” to portray Adam’s experiences of working as a hospital medic.
“It’s an honest, hilarious, heart-breaking look at the great institution and the army of unsung heroes who work there under the most stressful conditions,” he said.
Adam’s 2017 book was a bestseller and has been translated into 20 languages.
Adam said: “Ben is quite simply one of the finest actors our country has produced and a national treasure. There’s simply no one who could do a better job of playing – a much more handsome version of – me.”
Director Lucy Forbes said the “hilarious and heart-breaking view of the NHS feels more relevant than ever”.
