The series is based on Adam Kay's memoir of the same name, and Sister Pictures acquired the television rights in September 2017 following a twelve-way auction, with Kay serving as writer and executive producer.

The project was originally commissioned by BBC controller of drama Piers Wenger as an eight-episode order for BBC Two in June 2018, though only seven episodes were ultimately produced, and it was later moved to air on BBC One instead.

Ben Whishaw joined the cast as Adam Kay in June 2020, a casting decision that received unanimous approval from both the BBC and AMC Studios teams.

Ambika Mod signed on early to play Shruti Acharya and received the first scripts in mid-2020; after reading the first episode, she felt the role was 'meant' for her.

Drag queen The Vivienne makes a cameo appearance in one episode, playing a nightclub bouncer.

Principal photography ran from February to June 2021, with exterior hospital shots filmed at Ealing Hospital.

The soundtrack was composed by Jarvis Cocker's band Jarv Is, who described the score as 'our love song to the NHS,' with every episode featuring at least one song with lyrics by Cocker.

The series received widespread critical acclaim, scoring 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 91/100 on Metacritic, but also sparked controversy, with some viewers and commentators like Milli Hill accusing the show of misogyny in its depiction of birth and women on the ward.

The first episode was streamed 4,753,000 times on BBC iPlayer during 2022, making it the platform's 10th most-viewed individual programme that year.