Warning: this article contains a discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation that some readers may find distressing.
BBC One’s This is Going to Hurt made its debut earlier this week, with Ben Whishaw wowing viewers as a junior doctor trying to juggle his hugely stressful job and his crumbling personal life.
Those who’ve already binged all seven episodes will know that the comedy-drama ends on a particularly heart-breaking note – but if you’re feeling squeamish and want to find out how the show ends, then we’re here to explain the ending for you.
What happens at the end of This is Going to Hurt?
The penultimate episode winded us with a particularly tragic bombshell. After struggling with the intensity of her job and stressing over her exam results, we learn that Shruti (Ambika Mod) left the hospital and died by suicide.
Episode seven picks up two months later, with Adam continuing to deliver babies at the hospital and awaiting his trial with the General Medical Council over whether he can continue working as a doctor.
His relationship with Tracy (Michele Austin) is still tense, with Adam still feeling betrayed by the fact that it was her who anonymously reported him to the General Medical Council over his treatment of Becky and his general professional conduct.
Adam leaves the hospital to attend a memorial to Shruti, which the hospital is holding in the car park. On his way out, his beeper begins buzzing, however Julian (Kadiff Kirwan) offers to deal with the patient for him, telling him: “She’d have wanted you there.”
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In the car park, Ms Houghton unveils a tree planted in Shruti’s honour in front of her parents and members of staff, describing Shruti as “a committed and dedicated doctor” who had passed her Part One exams first time, adding: “Depression is cruel and in Shruti’s case, silent.”
“While she was clearly doing well at work, obviously there were other forces at play.”
After the speech, Adam asks Ms Houghton (Ashley McGuire) why he said she was happy at work and says there should be an investigation. She explains that there’s nothing they’re able to do while the hospital’s budget is limited. “If you want to change it, become a government minister because there is b******s-all any of us here can do,” she adds.
He then speaks to Mr. Lockhart (Alex Jennings), who says that he should tell the GMC that Shruti mistakenly told him that Lockhart had greenlit Becky being sent home. When Adam is horrified by Lockhart’s suggestion that he throw Shruti under the bus, he says: “No-one loses this way.”
On his way to the tribunal, Adam keeps picturing Shruti, imagining her saying: “Just do it. You treated me like s**t when I was alive. What does one more time matter?”
In the tribunal, we watch as he says: “I was working alongside an SHO colleague, Shruti Acharya–” before it cuts to after the tribunal, with Adam’s lawyer revealing that he was not struck off.
Adam meets up with Harry (Rory Fleck Byrne) for a coffee, with Harry wanting to talk about selling their flat. Adam breaks down, admitting that he’s going through a rough time and feels incredibly guilty about Shruti’s death. He asks Harry to be his plus one at Greg’s (Tom Durant-Pritchard) wedding, however Harry isn’t sure whether that’s a good idea.
Afterwards, Greg calls him to voice concerns over his wife not feeling her baby kick in her stomach for 90 minutes. Adam explains that it’s nothing to worry about and then asks if his recruiter friend may have some job options for him outside of medicine.
Back at the hospital, Adam sees Becky, who is about to take her baby home from the hospital and thanks him for everything he did for her, handing over a ‘Best Doctor’ mug for both him and Shruti.
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Adam is then called into deliver a baby whose shoulders have become stuck during childbirth – a serious situation that can result in brain damage if the baby isn’t delivered within five minutes. He manages to save the baby in the knick of time by breaking the mother’s pelvic bone with her consent. Tracy commends Adam and the two decide to let bygones be bygones.
A day later, Adam gets ready for Greg’s wedding whilst living with his parents and his mother admits that she just wants him to be happy. At the wedding, Adam bonds with Greg’s now-wife, giving her a personal baby monitoring kit that will allow her to hear the baby’s heartbeat whenever she wants.
While he initially thinks Harry hasn’t shown up, Harry turns up half way through the reception, having initially gone to the wrong venue. They decide to run down to the river with a bottle of wine and the two go for a swim.
Adam says he is considering quitting medicine in order to give their relationship a real chance. Harry says that he doesn’t think he would be able to as being a doctor is a huge part of his identity.
We then learn that at the tribunal, Adam actually told the panel that Shruti had taken her own life, having found out that she’d passed her exams but felt that “the idea of carrying on working in a broken system under shoddy conditions didn’t feel like any sort of future”.
He adds that the profession is too much for anyone and the fact that midwives, doctors and all kinds of medical professionals go the extra mile every day for their patients is something to remember.
Shortly afterwards, we watch as Adam arrives at work but finds a woman about to give birth in the car park. He helps her deliver the baby safely and hints that she should call the baby after him, saying: “Adam is a nice name.”
This is Going to Hurt is available to stream in its entirety on BBC iPlayer.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or visit our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features.
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