Friday 27 November 2015

Martin Clunes on final Doc Martin season


Want an idea of just how popular Doc Martin is? When the British drama about a curmudgeonly doctor in a Cornish fishing village advertised for extras in the local Port Isaac press, more than 800 people showed up.

In the giant queue, which snaked around the local church hall, there were no fewer than 150 babies in prams and pushchairs eager to be chosen for the role of the doctor's 11-month-old son, James Henry. That is one well-loved show!

Over six series, Doc Martin s has averaged nine million viewers a week in the UK and star Clunes Clunes, who plays the lovable yet grumpy medic, has won himself an army of die-hard fans. Calling themselves "Clunatics", they lavish gifts on the cast and crew to underline just how much they love the drama. "They are a group of Doc Martin fans who keep thanking us for helping them to make great friendships with other fans around the world. They Skype each other," explains Clunes, 53, who has played the role for 11 years. "When episodes go out, they have discussions on it, and when there are no episodes going out, they have more discussions. There is one woman logging all the ties I wear in the show. She says, 'I don't think I have seen this tie since season two. Mind you, I haven't logged all the season six ties yet'," says the actor, who is married to the show's producer, Philippa Braithwaite. The couple live in rural bliss in Dorset, with their teenage daughter, Emily.

We've had so many presents; paintings of myself and cast members, a fridge magnet of Jimmy, my Jack Russell, paintings of my horses. A lady from Iceland hand-knitted a sweater for me, one for Emily and one for Philippa – and one for Brian the props man because he was nice to her in the pub one night," continues Clunes.

"We were given a big jar of M&Ms with 'DM' printed on each one of them for us all. Some of the Clunatics even found us when we were filming on the moors."

Clunes, who has just spent a very contented four months shooting the latest series in Port Isaac, is touched, and a little taken aback, by the show's global popularity. "When we started making Doc Martin, we could never have imagined it would have this reaction," he says. "We never anticipated this. You can't predict how successful something will be."

As the seventh series kicks off this week, Doc Martin looks set to remain as popular as ever. Dr Martin Ellingham, the GP with the disastrous bedside manner and a morbid fear of blood, has his work cut out in the new series, set in the fictional bucolic seaside hamlet of Portwenn. Louisa (played by Caroline Catz from DCI Banks), the woman he recently married, has had enough of his grouchiness and has walked out. She has taken young James Henry and gone off to stay with her mother in Spain.

Keep reading HERE.

20 comments:

  1. So who was the most annoying - Elaine, Pauline or Morwenna? Despite only one series I vote for Elaine, innit?

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  2. I thought PC Mylow was a much more realistic character then Penhale. Then again the writing was so much better in the beginning.

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  3. The header says he comments on the final doc martin season yet the article doesn't say one word about this season being the final one. Am I missing something?

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  4. If theres money to be made they'll do another - no thought to quality

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  5. We in America I'm looking forward to series 8

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    1. No we aint. The Doc has sucked since series 4.

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    2. Yes we are. Love this show‼️ MN USA

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    3. Yes we are. Love this show‼️ MN USA

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  6. I'd love a serious 8 but was dismayed to see on Amazon UK they refer to series 7 as the final series of doc Martin. Sad it's such a great show

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  7. It was a great show ( see series 1, series 2 )

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  8. America doesnt want series 8 if it doesnt have the doc from series 1

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  9. I have watched every episode and have purchased the entire series. Although Series 7 doesn't start airing on the TV station I watch here in America until Jan 7, 2016, I have already watched the first four episodes from my purchased DVD. I do love the show and its characters but I do think for the story to keep its legitimacy and appeal its time for the series to end. Just my opinion...

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  10. I purchased seies 1 thru 5 on DVD having only seen series 1. I threw out series 5, just to painful to watch. Great show until the urine comment in series 3. Lost its mojo after that.

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  11. I don't want it to end!! It's that brilliant!! The cast is brilliant!! We need more DOC MARTIN PLEASE!!! Intellect is what this cast has, I'm positive they will give us more. This is the greatest series ever. Superb:)

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  12. It's not that I'm anti-Doc, I was on his side at the end of series 3. That was Louisa at her worst. If she had time to write a letter she had time to call. Series 4 was highly disappointing. They kept Doc and Louisa apart until the end, then have him blurt out a 10 second apology, which he obviously did not mean. Clunes and ITV thinks ratings = quality. They are very dumb people.

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  13. Unfortunately Clunes thinks it's funny that the Doc hasn't progressed as a person. It's depressing. He doesn't show much if any affection to his son, let alone Louisa. And in Series 7, she was colder than he. Let the final series go out with a bang: get some fresh WRITERS. Some new blood.

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  14. I have to agree with fresh writers. It's supposed to be for the most part a comedy so how about you lighten things up a bit and make us laugh? I second there being more warmth in their family.

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  15. Watched Doctor Mateo on youtube, the spanish version of Doc Martin, even though I don't understand ten words of spanish. It showed me how good this show could have been. The spanish doc eventually comes out of his shell and shows real affection for Louisa ( who's called a different name in the spanish version). Just more proof of how Clunes ruined this show.

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  16. Barely started watching Doc Martin 2 weeks ago and I was hooked. Well, I actually binged watch. I love it so much that I started watching it over again and again. Can't wait for Series 7 and I'm planning to buy the videos too. Love Martin Clunes a lot that I started checking out his other shows.
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