Martin Clunes (aka Doc Martin) Proves That Laughter Is, Indeed, the Best Medicine

Having lived a good deal of my young life in Devon and Cornwall in southwest England, I was immediately drawn to a quirky television show on KCET called “Doc Martin.” In this outstanding comedy/drama, the beautiful and almost idyllic fishing village is really one of the main characters along with the protagonist, Doctor Martin Ellingham. Now about to launch season seven, this side of the pond, Martin Clunes (Doc Martin) took a few minutes to talk with us about the zany, albeit, brilliant buffoon of a doctor.

What makes this irritating doctor so bloody marvelous? That depends on who you ask. But for this reporter, it is just plain brilliant acting and writing, combined with a dash of cheekiness, all baked carefully into one a scrumptious Cornish pasty.

“Doc Martin” is a catchy comedy/drama that stars Clunes (“Men Behaving Badly”) as Martin Ellingham, whose truculence and tactless manner causes mayhem in a small Cornish community. The series details the trials and tribulations of the brash Ellingham, once a celebrated London surgeon who left his job after developing a phobia to blood. After retraining as a general practitioner, he gets a job in the beautiful but sleepy village of Portwenn, replacing their deceased local doctor – but his abrasive personality does not exactly mesh with the pace of the Cornish Village where time has stood still since the 15th Century … that is, until now.

Beacon Media (BM): Are you surprised by the global popularity of “Doc Martin?”

Martin Clunes (MC): We were really surprised and delighted to see so many countries embrace “Doc Martin.”

BM: When you are shooting in Port Isaac, Cornwall, how long are you there?

MC: Well we are there generally about five and a half months and I always pop home to the farm on Fridays for the weekend to be with my wife and daughter in Dorset.

BM: The incredibly quirky characters absolutely make the show and the writing is brilliant.
This year “Downton Abbey” has a float in the Rose Parade … any chance we may see a “Doc Martin/Portwenn Float” in a future Rose Parade here in Pasadena?

MC: What is “Downton Abbey,” never heard of it (laughing)? Actually, I had never really thought of it but I would not rule it out. That is funny.

BM: Season seven is rumored to be the last, is this true?

MC: No, definitely not. We are having way too much fun in Cornwall. I just love it there.

Keep reading HERE at Pasadena Independent.