Friday 8 January 2016

Producer promises more to come from ‘Doc Martin’ beyond new season


Dr. Martin Ellingham, that blood-phobic, irascible village physician, isn’t done insulting his patients just yet. Season 7 of Doc Martin, premiering in January on public television, won’t be the last.

“There are lots of stories we want to explore, and we want to do them well,” series producer Philippa Braithwaite, wife of star Martin Clunes, told Current. “I think we’ll know when it’s time to end the show.”

That’s great news for fans, so crazy for the hit Britcom that they call themselves “Clunatics.”
Their passion for the quirky characters that populate the fictional English fishing village of Portwenn has catapulted the title to multiple adaptations worldwide: In Austria, there’s Der Bergdoktor; the Netherlands, Dokter Tinus. 

A U.S. version for commercial TV is now in the works, from Executive Producer Marta Kauffman (Friends, Grace and Frankie).

But fans — as well as the cast and crew — are constantly playing a nervous guessing game as to when the original British series could end.

New episodes are filmed every other year from March through July in scenic Port Isaac, a sleepy burg in Cornwall. On its home network of ITV, Doc Martin remains the highest-rated Monday show outside of longtime soap operas.

Braithwaite said each season is created so that it could be the last. “We never know when we finish if we will make another” season, she said, “so we finish deliberately so we could leave it right there.”

She admitted that Season 6 was the exception. Viewers were left with an emotional cliffhanger: Martin’s frustrated wife Louisa (played by Caroline Catz) had retreated to Spain with their infant son James to visit her mother, with no planned return date. Martin was left to wonder if, given his personality quirks, he should be married at all.

Keep reading HERE at Current.

6 comments:

  1. The actors are aging twice as fast as the characters on screen. When James is 5 the Doc will be look 80. After four sorry series, PLEASE NO SERIES 8.

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    1. Don't be so ridiculous, ignorant and so rude. If you don't like the show, don't watch it. Leave the rest of us, who clearly have better taste than you, to enjoy this fabulous series without having to put up with unwarranted comments from unpleasant oiks like you.
      Have you not seen the real world lately? Many people, especially men, become parents at more advanced years than used to happen 20 years ago. It would be realistic for a character like Doc to be 80 when his young son grew up, since the Doc is about 50 in the script now. Who cares? It isn't like they've made Louisa be a first time mother at 50 odd, which whilst possible would be silly, just the father. Nothing at all wrong or unrealistic about that.
      If you need to complain, find something realistic to complain about.
      I could happily watch new series of Doc Martin for the next few decades. Why not? The character has another 30 something years left in him before time might see him off. He would still have relationships with other people in Portwenn even if he was forced to retire. He could even become an alternative medicine practitioner, like an osteopath or a chiropractor, if the NHS made his his character retire as a GP Doctor. Mrs Tishell would still be after him, neck brace and all. Joe Penhale's son would have taken over as Portwenn's policeman, Louisa would doubtless still be frustrated by Martin's behaviour, which would be punctuated by enough good moments to make it with while, just like real life.....seriously, there is A LOT of life left in Doc Martin, and your comment is just plain ignorant and dishonest. Why can't you just admit that you don't like the show for your own personal reasons? You don't have to make up a stupid excuse to validate disliking a show. No-one who likes the show is going to take any notice at all of your irrelevant comment.

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    2. And that should say "worth while", not "with while" - auto correct strikes again!

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    3. Bring on series 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.....I can't get enough of the show :-D It's a delight.
      I never understand why anyone sees the need to complain about a show on sites like this - if you don't like it, don't watch it! Why would you watch something just so you could make up a really stupid complaint about it? You might as well have said that the reason you don't like it is because Mrs Tishell wears skirts. Or because the houses in it have small doors and windows. Or that the villagers talk with a funny accent. All irrelevant. It's a very high quality show, with high production values, a fantastic cast, great writing, and set in a stunning location. And you focus on Martin Clunes allegedly looking older than he should, given the time that is shown to pass in the programme? Aside from disagreeing with you (Martin Clunes will NOT look 80 when James is 5), no-one actually cares what people like you think.
      They generally have a year's break between filming one series and the next, so everyone is bound to look another year or two older in the next series. But it's a tad harsh to say that Martin Clunes will look 30 years older in a year or so's time, don't you think? He's in his fifties, I think, and looking very well on it. I certainly wouldn't kick him out of bed!

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  3. I love his show

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