Whishaw will play the on-screen version of Kay, who also adapted the memoir for TV, which will explore what it means to be a good doctor in a system that is buckling under pressure from all angles.

Kay created the memoir using his diaries which were written in secret after sleepless nights and hectic days, giving the honest truth of what it means to be a doctor working in obstetrics and gynaecology.

The series sees Whishaw playing Kay, a doctor suffering from 97-hour work weeks, while making life and death decisions and dealing with surmounting pressure and responsibility.

With his personal life hanging by a thread, Kay is having to handle these demands all while earning less than the hospital parking meter.

The series doesn’t shy away from the crushing lows and dizzying highs of life on a hospital ward, with plenty of funny and politically frustrating moments.

“Ben is quite simply one of the finest actors our country has ever produced and a bona fide national treasure,” said Adam Kay.

He continued: “There’s simply no one who could do a better job of playing (a much more handsome version of) me. Best still, I now have an answer to the standard dinner party question: 'Who would play you in the story of your life?'”

Ben Whishaw expressed his gratitude at being part of the project and added: “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.

“The COVID-19 crisis has now shed even more light on their great work and underlines the necessity to support the NHS and its workers.”

Director Lucy Forbes commented: "This hilarious and heart-breaking view of the NHS, that we have so long taken for granted, feels more relevant than ever - and what better person to play Adam than the wonderful Whishaw!”