Martin
Clunes and I are taking a break between filming scenes on Doc Martin –
in which I play chemist Mrs Tishell – in Port Isaac, Cornwall. Among the
mob of fans waiting patiently, cameras in hand, Martin spots a woman
with an eccentric-looking spaniel.
'Aaah, hello,' he says, addressing the dog as an old friend. 'You've got lovely long ears.'
'Yes,'
says its owner, 'when he gets anxious he chews them.' With a large dose
of self-deprecation, Martin shoots back, 'Don't we all?'
Fans of the
show will know that the Doc is no dog-lover, but Martin himself is
passionate about them. And word's got round: if you want to meet Martin
on the Doc Martin set, you don't stand a chance without a dog. Any dog.
Big, small, beautiful, ugly, sweet-natured, crotchety or even sick – he
loves them all and they all love him. I reckon there's a canny local
entrepreneur in the village running a Rent-A-Dog scheme from a
Portakabin.
When
I first met Martin 11 years ago now on this very set, I saw him as a
tall, curious clown: gentle, courteous and very quick-witted. But I
didn't realise just how doggy he is. So where did it all begin? Jemima,
it transpires, was his first dog, a white rescue terrier bought for his
sister Amanda when they were children. 'She lost interest in her quite
soon and I gained interest,' he says. 'I mean, anyone who's felt the
thrill of the weight of a dog on their bed... some children never have
that.'
Keep reading HERE at the Daily Mail.
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