# A Young Doctor's Notebook **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 16, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905 "2014-06-16T13:55:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/1 "2014-06-16T13:55:41Z")
Saw _A Young Doctor’s Notebook_ over the weekend. It is a BBC TV series based on the short stories of Mikhail Bulgakov, of _The Master and Margarita_ fame. Allegedly, it is partly autobiographical. The setting is this: a young just-graduated medical student is sent, in 1917, to the most remote possible medical clinic - the ass-end of nowhere. He has exactly zero practical experience. Then the Revolution breaks out. Twenty years later, the same doctor is reminicing on these experiences while being busted by the KGB for morphine addiction. The results are difficult to describe - imagine the blackest of black comedies, like a Russian MASH mixed with Fawltey Towers. I think it may well be the most gruesomely funny thing I’ve ever seen, as well as the saddest depiction of opiate addiction and moral degeneration. The actors are all incredible (the young doc is portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, of Harry Potter, and the old doctor by Jon Hamm of Mad Men). Highly recommended. Not for the squeamish! ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/2 "2014-06-16T17:38:41Z")
Definitely was interesting…but it seems that there aren’t going to be any more episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/3 "2014-06-16T17:59:35Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Definitely was interesting…but it seems that there aren’t going to be any more episodes. There are 2 seasons, and it appears that the the makers intentionally made it so that it would only have the two. It comes to a very definite end in the last episode. ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/4 "2014-06-16T18:18:04Z")
I stumbled across this while flipping through netflix, it is one of the darkest comedies I’ve seen. I haven’t seen them all yet, and I’m not normally squeamish but I had to look away for some parts of it. I’ve recommended it but only to some people, if you don’t like black humor then you’re really not going to go for this. I’ve loved it so far. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/5 "2014-06-16T19:51:50Z")
> [@Alma](#): > > I stumbled across this while flipping through netflix, it is one of the darkest comedies I’ve seen. I haven’t seen them all yet, and I’m not normally squeamish but I had to look away for some parts of it. I’ve recommended it but only to some people, if you don’t like black humor then you’re really not going to go for this. I’ve loved it so far. Yeah, some of that stuff I was surprised the authorities would allow on TV. :eek: Certainly NOT for the squeamish. But like you, I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/6 "2014-06-16T21:04:55Z")
I watched the first series, but wasn’t sufficiently blown away to be interested in the second when it came out. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/7 "2014-06-16T22:26:05Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Yeah, some of that stuff I was surprised the authorities would allow on TV. :eek: > > Certainly NOT for the squeamish. But like you, I loved it. You would be amazed at what’s allowed on British TV! This was shown on Sky Arts which is not mainstream network television so there’s quite a bit of freedom. Loved the first series. I’d forgotten about the second so thx for the reminder. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/8 "2014-06-17T04:21:07Z")
Loved it, am sad it is only going to be the 2 seasons - Radcliff as a feckless young doctor talking with his older darker cynical self is fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/9 "2014-06-17T10:20:16Z")
I’d never heard of this series. Thanks so much for starting this thread! I just devoured Season 1 on Netflix. Why the hell doesn’t Netflix have Season 2? I’m going through withdrawal, here. Anyone know where this American could get her next fix? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/10 "2014-06-17T10:52:41Z")
I got season 2 on Netflix streaming, same as season 1. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/11 "2014-06-17T12:32:10Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Loved it, am sad it is only going to be the 2 seasons - Radcliff as a feckless young doctor talking with his older darker cynical self is fantastic. The acting is great throughout. Certainly, Radcliffe has shown great acting chops as a serious, post-Harry Potter actor. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/12 "2014-06-17T14:02:15Z")
I get only one season, 4 episodes, on Netflix. Feh! ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/13 "2014-06-17T19:16:04Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > I get only one season, 4 episodes, on Netflix. Feh! That sucks - the secod season is as good as the first … maybe more depressing though (not to spoiler, the young doctor goes through a real moral degeneration). ---
**Author:** ![pavano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@pavano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pavano)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/14 "2014-06-17T19:59:22Z")
i watched the first season last year, but to be honest, i only watched it because i wanted to see harry potter OD on heroin. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-young-doctors-notebook/690905/15 "2014-06-17T20:40:26Z")
> [@pavano](#): > > i watched the first season last year, but to be honest, i only watched it because i wanted to see harry potter OD on heroin. Boy you must be dissapointed - it was Don Draper who attempts to OD on morphine, and that happens in the second series. 😃