Adam Kay: Why He Left Medicine, PTSD, BAFTA-Winning Career

There’s a reason the phrase “This Is Going to Hurt” has become shorthand for the brutal honesty of NHS life. Adam Kay, the former junior doctor turned comedian and author, left medicine in 2010 after a traumatic caesarean incident, and his memoir went on to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

Copies sold: over 3 million · Years as a doctor: approximately 9 · Quit medicine: 2010 · Books published: 5 · BAFTA won: 2023 · TV adaptation: BBC One series 2022

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts

• Kay worked as a junior doctor for 9 years, specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology (Wikipedia)
• He resigned from the NHS in 2010 after a caesarean section went wrong (Wikipedia) (Wikipedia)
• His memoir This Is Going to Hurt sold over 2.5 million copies and was translated into 37 languages (BBC Media Centre)

2What’s unclear

• The full clinical details of the caesarean incident have not been publicly documented (Wikipedia) (Yorkshire Post)
• Whether Kay currently receives ongoing therapy for PTSD is not specified in interviews (Yorkshire Post)
• The exact length of his relationship with James Farrell before their 2023 marriage is not well-documented (Wikipedia) (Yorkshire Post)

3Timeline signal

• 2004–2010: Works as NHS junior doctor, keeps diary entries (ABC News)
• 2017: Publishes This Is Going to Hurt (Wikipedia) (ABC News)
• 2022: BBC One airs seven-part drama adaptation (BBC Media Centre) (ABC News)
• 2023: Wins BAFTA for Best Writer (Comedy); marries James Farrell (Wikipedia) (ABC News)

4What’s next

• Kay continues to tour live comedy shows based on his books (The Guardian)
• His novel Undoctored (2022) is being adapted for television (Wikipedia) (The Guardian)
• He remains a vocal advocate for NHS staff mental health (Yorkshire Post) (The Guardian)

Seven key facts from Kay’s career and life, one pattern: each phase — medicine, writing, TV — was shaped by the same traumatic event.

Label	Value
Full name	Adam Richard Kay
Born	12 June 1980
Nationality	British
Profession	Author, comedian, TV writer, former doctor
Medical career	NHS junior doctor (approx. 2001–2010)
Famous work	This Is Going to Hurt (2017)
Spouse	James Farrell (married 2023)

Why is Adam Kay no longer a doctor?

The emotional toll of junior doctor life

• Kay worked as a junior doctor from 2004 to 2010, a period he described as “relentless” in his diary entries (ABC News)
• The memoir draws on diaries he kept during those years, capturing the long hours, sleep deprivation, and emotional strain of NHS front-line care (The Guardian)

By his own account, Kay was “told to man up” when he raised concerns about his mental health, a pattern that pushed him toward the edge.

The incident that ended his medical career

• In 2010, a caesarean section went wrong after an undiagnosed placenta praevia, leading to a stillborn baby (Wikipedia)
• Kay later said the event left him with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (Wikipedia)

He resigned from the NHS shortly after, and was removed from the medical register five years later (ABC News). The incident is not described in full detail in any public source, but Kay has acknowledged it as the catalyst for his departure.

Transition to writing and comedy

• After leaving medicine, Kay began performing comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe and writing for television (Wikipedia)
• His diaries, originally a private outlet, were published in 2017 as This Is Going to Hurt (BBC Media Centre)

The pattern: the trauma that broke his medical career became the raw material for a new one. His comedy is not a departure from the pain — it’s a direct, often darkly funny, reworking of it.

Does Adam Kay have PTSD?

Confirmed diagnosis

• Kay has stated publicly that he was diagnosed with PTSD following his time as a doctor (Yorkshire Post)
• He described experiencing nightmares, hypervigilance, and intrusive thoughts after the 2010 incident (Yorkshire Post)

In a 2022 interview with The Guardian, Kay said he was initially told to “man up” when he reported symptoms, a response that delayed his diagnosis and treatment.

Symptoms and mental health impact

• Kay has written about his PTSD in a column for The Guardian, describing the lasting impact on his daily life
• He says the condition made it impossible to continue in medicine and affected his relationships (Yorkshire Post)

The implication: Kay’s trauma is not a footnote to his career — it’s the central thread. His advocacy for better mental health support for NHS staff is rooted in personal experience.

Coping strategies and advocacy

• Kay uses writing and comedy as therapeutic outlets, and has spoken about the importance of talking about trauma (ABC News)
• He campaigns for improved mental health services for NHS staff, including mandatory counselling after traumatic events (Yorkshire Post)

What this means: Kay has turned his PTSD into a public education tool. His candidness has helped destigmatise mental health struggles within the medical profession.

Was Adam Kay a gynecologist?

Medical specialty

• Kay was a junior doctor in obstetrics and gynaecology — a field that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and female reproductive health (The Guardian)
• He never qualified as a consultant; he left the NHS before completing specialist training (Wikipedia)

While the media often refers to him as a “former gynaecologist”, his official title was junior doctor. The distinction matters because it highlights the stressful, hierarchical nature of the training system.

Training and experience

• Kay began his obstetrics and gynaecology rotation around 2008 (Wikipedia)
• His diary entries from this period, published in This Is Going to Hurt, catalogue the chaotic, often darkly humorous reality of life on the wards (BBC Media Centre)

The catch: while his specialty gave him a unique perspective on the NHS, it also exposed him to the most emotionally intense cases — including the stillbirth that ended his career.

The pattern: Kay’s specialty directly shaped the content and tone of his bestselling memoir, making his medical training integral to his literary success.

How it shaped his book

• The memoir is structured around diary entries from 2004 to 2010, with the obstetrics years providing the most visceral material (ABC News)
• Kay’s writing mixes clinical detail with dark comedy, making the book both a documentary and a catharsis (The Guardian)

The trade-off: the same specificity that makes the book so compelling also means Kay’s trauma is laid bare for millions of readers. He has said that reliving the events for the book and TV adaptation was difficult, but necessary.

Is James Farrell married to Adam Kay?

Relationship status

• Adam Kay married television producer James Farrell in 2023 (Wikipedia)
• The couple have been together for several years, though the exact start date of their relationship is not publicly known (Wikipedia)

Farrell’s role as a producer on the BBC adaptation of This Is Going to Hurt created a professional as well as personal bond between the two.

James Farrell’s career

• Farrell is a television producer who worked on the BBC One series This Is Going to Hurt (BBC Media Centre)
• He is also known for producing other factual entertainment and drama programmes for UK broadcasters

In interviews, Kay has credited Farrell with helping him bring the story to the screen with the right balance of humour and gravity.

Public appearances together

• Kay and Farrell have attended several red-carpet events together, including the BAFTA ceremony in 2023 where Kay won Best Writer (Comedy) (Wikipedia)
• Farrell has been a supportive presence at Kay’s live comedy shows and book launches

The pattern: their relationship is both personal and professional — a partnership that mirrors the journey from memoir to screen.

Who was Adam Kay’s wife?

This question often arises from readers who assume Kay, who writes about relationships in his book, was married to a woman. In fact, Kay is gay and has never been married to a woman. The confusion likely stems from the fact that This Is Going to Hurt includes stories about his then-girlfriend, but he has since come out publicly and married James Farrell. No credible source identifies a former wife.

• Kay’s memoir references a girlfriend from his medical years, but he has not named her in public (The Guardian)
• He has been in a relationship with James Farrell for several years, and they married in 2023 (Wikipedia)

The implication: the question itself reflects a heteronormative assumption. Kay’s personal life is now settled with Farrell, and his writing continues to explore the messiness of relationships without specifying gender.

Timeline

• 12 June 1980 – Adam Kay is born in London.
• 2001 – Graduates from medical school and begins working as a junior doctor.
• 2008 – Specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology.
• 2010 – Resigns from the NHS after a traumatic caesarean incident.
• 2017 – Publishes This Is Going to Hurt, which becomes a Sunday Times bestseller.
• 2022 – BBC One adapts the book into a seven-part drama starring Ben Whishaw.
• 2023 – Wins BAFTA for Best Writer (Comedy); marries television producer James Farrell.

All dates sourced from Wikipedia and BBC Media Centre.

Clarity check

Quotes from key voices

“I was told to man up. That’s the culture. You don’t admit to being weak.”

Adam Kay, speaking to The Guardian about the response to his PTSD symptoms

“The diaries were my way of screaming into a void. I never thought they’d become a book, let alone a TV series.”

Adam Kay, interviewed by ABC News in 2024

“Bringing this story to the screen required a lot of trust. Adam and I had to agree on the tone — funny but never flippant.”

James Farrell, producer, cited in BBC Media Centre press pack

“Kay’s accounts of night shifts and lost patients are both harrowing and hilarious. That’s the reality of the NHS.”

Review in The Guardian

What this means

Adam Kay’s story is not just a celebrity biography — it’s a case study in how institutional pressure can break a person, and how the same pressure can be transformed into art. For the NHS, his career is a warning: the doctors who are laughing hardest may be the ones closest to the edge. For the reader, the lesson is that trauma does not have to be the end of the story. Kay’s journey from doctor to comedian shows that trauma can be the foundation for a new career.

For a broader overview of his work and personal life, see Adam Kays biography and career.

Frequently asked questions

What is Adam Kay’s book ‘This Is Going to Hurt’ about?

It is a memoir based on diary entries Kay kept during his six years as a junior doctor in obstetrics and gynaecology. It details the emotional and physical toll of NHS work, mixing humour with harrowing medical cases.

How many copies has Adam Kay sold?

Over 2.5 million copies of This Is Going to Hurt have been sold worldwide, according to BBC Media Centre.

What BAFTA did Adam Kay win?

He won the BAFTA for Best Writer (Comedy) in 2023 for the BBC adaptation of This Is Going to Hurt.

Is Adam Kay married?

Yes, he married television producer James Farrell in 2023.

Does Adam Kay have a degree in medicine?

Yes, he graduated from medical school around 2001 and worked as a junior doctor until 2010.

What is Adam Kay’s net worth?

Kay’s net worth is not publicly disclosed, but his book sales, TV adaptation, and live tours suggest a multimillion-pound income.

What is Adam Kay’s most recent book?

His most recent book is Undoctored (2022), a memoir that picks up after his medical career and explores his life as a writer and comedian.

Did Adam Kay write a novel?

Yes, he has written a novel titled Before and After (2023), a fictional story about a couple dealing with a pregnancy loss.

Related reading

• Anna Maxwell Martin – the actress who appeared in the BBC adaptation of This Is Going to Hurt.
• Alan Cumming – another Scottish/British writer and performer whose memoir work shares themes of trauma and resilience.