Ben Whishaw This Is Going to Hurt
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Ben Whishaw shines in BBC One’s ‘This Is Going to Hurt’ drama series

The actor stars as Adam Kay in the BBC One series

Ben Whishaw cements his reputation as one of Britain’s best actors in BBC One’s latest drama This Is Going to Hurt.

The seven-part series airs on Tuesdays from this week (February 08 2022) and is based on the bestselling memoir by former doctor Adam Kay.

Ben plays the main character in the new medical drama, and we can’t imagine anyone else in the role.

But how old is he, and what has he been in before?

Is he married, single, or other?

Here’s everything you need to know about actor Ben Whishaw!

Ben Whishaw as Adam in This Is Going to Hurt
Ben Whishaw as Adam in This Is Going to Hurt (Credit: BBC One)

Read more: This is Going To Hurt on BBC One: First-look images with Ben Whishaw released

This Is Going to Hurt cast – Ben Whishaw plays Adam

Ben Whishaw stars as Adam, a junior doctor working in obstetrics and gynaecology.

He is at the heart of This Is Going to Hurt, which is a painfully funny, heartbreakingly honest series set in an NHS labour ward.

The black comedy follows his life juggling a tremendously difficult job, with an every decreasing social life.

In the first of the This Is Going to Hurt episodes, we see Adam treating a racist pregnant woman who refuses to have her baby delivered by fellow doctor Shruti…

But Adam gets his own quiet revenge.

Ben said of the role: “It’s an honest, hilarious, heartbreaking look at the great institution and the army of unsung heroes who work there under the most stressful conditions.”

Ben Whishaw as Norman Scott in A Very English Scandal
Ben Whishaw as Norman Scott in A Very English Scandal (Credit: BBC One)

Read more: What are the best drama box sets currently on BBC iPlayer?

What has Ben been in before?

BAFTA award-winning Ben Whishaw is well known for his roles in TV and film.

He’s been on our screens since 1999, when he first appeared on TV as Pte. James Deamis in The Trench.

Since then, he’s starred in comedies including Nathan Barley and Fargo, as well as drama series London Spy, Criminal Justice, and The Hour.

He was brilliant as Norman Scott in A Very English Scandal, opposite Hugh Grant.

Ben’s film roles include Mary Poppins Returns, Cloud Atlas, and Perfume.

Of course, Ben plays Q in the James Bond films No Time to Die, Spectre and Skyfall.

Ben is also the voice of Paddington Bear in the two popular Paddington movies – and will reprise the role in the upcoming third film.

In 2019, Ben portrayed Uriah Heep in The Personal History of David Copperfield – proof that he can pull off a villain, too, even though the actor seems ridiculously likeable.

Ben Whishaw age – how old is he and where is he from?

Benjamin John Whishaw was born on October 14 1980.

He is currently 41 years of age.

His birthplace was Clifton, Bedfordshire, and he was raised there as well as neighbouring Langford.

Ben has a fraternal twin, James Whishaw (pictured in Instagram post above).

Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Mark Bradshaw
Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Mark Bradshaw strike a pose on the red carpet of the Met Gala (Credit: Splash)

Is This Is Going to Hurt actor Ben Whishaw gay? Is he married?

Ben Whishaw is openly gay.

He has been in a civil partnership with Mark Bradshaw since 2012.

Mark is an Australian composer.

In 2014, Ben publicly discussed his coming out, saying that it was a tense experience for him but “everyone was surprisingly lovely”.

For several years, Ben Whishaw refused to answer questions about his personal life.

He previously said: “As an actor you have total rights to privacy and mystery, whatever your sexuality, whatever you do.

“I don’t see why that has to be something you discuss openly because you do something in the public eye.

“I have no understanding of why we turn actors into celebrities.”

Ben Whishaw as Q in Bond films
Ben Whishaw as Q in the last Daniel Craig Bond film No Time to Die (Credit: Splash)

Ben Whishaw as Adam Kay in This Is Going to Hurt

Actor Ben Whishaw plays Adam in the BBC One series This Is Going to Hurt.

He says of his character: “Adam Kay is a junior doctor when we meet him, trying to keep afloat in a system that is unrelenting.

“He’s someone who’s really trying to do good but also deal with his own flaws, foibles, shortcomings and failings.

“This is really interesting because I think when you go into a hospital or when you are dealing with a doctor, you think they are superhuman in some way, and I love that this character is all too human really.”

He said: “We’ve learned how to do Caesareans.

“I had no idea that it was as basic a process as it is.

“You literally take a scalpel and slice through the flesh and then you literally put your hands in and pull the muscles apart and then you shove your fist in and grab the baby.

“Things like that are extraordinary.”

This Is Going To Hurt | Trailer - BBC

This is Going to Hurt starts on Tuesday February 08 2021 at 9pm on BBC One.

Will you be tuning in to This is Going to Hurt on BBC One? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.


Helen Fear
TV Editor