Clifton actor Ben Wishaw's co-star hails him as one of 'greatest actors of his generation', as BBC drama concludes

The seven-part series, entitled This is Going to Hurt, showed on BBC One sees the one-time Bancroft Players youth theatre performer taking the leading role in the television adaptation of Adam Kay’s multi-million selling memoir.

The programme follows the darkly comedic on-screen world of Adam Kay in his chaotic job in an obs and gynae ward back in 2006.

Shruti (Ambika Mod) and Adam (Ben Whishaw) in This Is Going To Hurt. (Image: Sister)

“I must be the only person in the country who hadn’t heard of it before I got sent it,” said 41-year-old Wishaw, describing his lack of prior knowledge as “a bit embarrassing”.

The former Samuel Whitbread Academy student appeared alongside Ambika Mod in the programme - who played Shruti, his obstetrician character's protégé - who was said to be a mix of many different characters in the book.

Mod, 26, said she and Bafta-winner Ben had been given a “crash course” in how to perform certain medical operations, including a caesarean section, with three on-set medical advisers to make sure “no corners were cut”.

“It was so when we filmed the operation scenes it looked as real as possible,” she said.

“The prosthetics, all the layers that would actually be in the human body, were exactly the same. We had to cut through the layer exactly the same.”

She added: “I could definitely do a caesarean now if I needed to, definitely…”

Asked about working with Wishaw, who voices the animated version of Paddington Bear, she said: “It was great, although unfortunately he didn’t have the body of Paddington Bear.

“That was really devastating.

She continued: “We all know Ben is one of the greatest actors of his generation but he’s also so beautiful and kind and modest and approachable and humble and really took me under his wing.

“He made me a better actor.”

Watch the full series of This is Going to Hurt on BBC iPlayer, where it is available for the next 10 months.