A Young Doctor’s Notebook and Other Stories

Series two, episode one
Even in the frozen backwaters of early twentieth-century Russia, a doctor can’t keep on caning the morphine indefinitely. As this second series begins, Daniel Radcliffe’s junior medic hasn’t realised that yet. His older alter-ego (Jon Hamm), knows it only too well, however.

Tonight, with the Civil War raging, there’s a sudden run on painkillers – but how’s a doctor to keep the monkey off his back while facing such heavy demand? ‘A Young Doctor’s Notebook’ remains watchable rather than essential – the comedy still isn’t quite uproarious enough to justify the slim characterisation. But the tone’s spot on – bad-taste fun with just the right degree of looming tragedy – and the performances are relishable.