Doc Martin Series 8

Let's get the party started!

Filming of Series 8 has begun. For a few little odds and ends, pop on over to the Series 8 blog - docmartinseries8.blogspot.com

Doc Martin series 8: Martin Clunes comedy confirmed to return for final outing

THERE were fears that it was getting axed but Doc Martin is returning for an eighth and final series, ITV has announced.

The last-ever run of the comedy drama, following the travails of Martin Clunes’ socially inept Doctor Martin Ellingham, is set to be broadcast next year.

Doc Martin star Ian McNeice, who plays Bert Large, revealed that the cast were told about series eight after they were invited to a dinner hosted by ITV.

The broadcaster held the event to celebrate the programme’s high ratings that were said to be “on a par with Downton Abbey”.

“Everybody in the cast was there and then the Head of ITV gets up and says ‘We love Doc Martin and as a vote of confidence we would like to give you one more show’,” the 65-year-old actor explained.

He continued: “The future is rosy. We would all like to do more with Martin and God bless them ITV have said they are going to do more.”  

Ian also confessed that he thought at the wrap party for series seven that the show would be drawing to a close, however he was pleased when it turned out his fears were misplaced.

“We had a cast and crew photograph and we had never had that before, and it was slightly unnerving that the end of this series we wrap things up nicely. But it is not over and we are thrilled,” he told The Mirror.

Keep reading HERE at the Express.

ITV orders Doc Martin Series 8

ITV has ordered an eighth series of Doc Martin.

The hit comedy drama stars Martin Clunes as a grumpy medic living in a picturesque Cornish fishing village.

Ian McNeice, who plays Bert Large, confirmed the news whilst speaking to The Mirror.

He explained: "We were all invited by ITV to a dinner to thank us for the ratings we have had in October and November and they were the best we have had so far with seven million viewers - on a par with Downton Abbey and everybody was thrilled about that.

"Everybody in the cast was there and then the Head of ITV gets up and says 'We love Doc Martin and as a vote of confidence we would like to give you one more show'."

He concluded: "So there will be Series 8 and we will make it in the year 2017, because we always have a break in between. The future is rosy. We would all like to do more with Martin and God bless them ITV have said they are going to do more."

It is not clear whether the "one more show" quoted from the ITV executive means that the next series of Doc Martin will be the final run. As one of the highest rated shows on TV it seems unlikely the network would willingly axe the format at present, however the cast have been worried for some time that the show will end soon.

Talking about Series 7 - which concluded an eight-episode run in November - Ian McNeice said: "We all thought that was going to be the end.

Keep reading HERE at the British Comedy Guide.

Doc Martin’s Ian McNeice Confirms There Will Be More of the Hit Series

Who says keeping your fingers crossed doesn’t work? It certainly has for Doc Martin fans, as series costar Ian McNeice has confirmed that more of the hit dramedy is coming!

Ian McNeice was back in the US this past Monday, as the special guest for the KCET sneak peek of Doc Martin: Season 7 and station fundraiser, held at the residence of British Consul General Chris O’Connor in Los Angeles.

Since I couldn’t be there in person (yes, I sobbed into my tea at having to decline the invitation), KCET kindly arranged a phone interview with Ian for me. My fingers were crossed that he would have good news about Doc Martin, and did he ever!

If you’ve read my earlier interview with him, you’ll recall that Ian calls farmer Robert (whose warehouse is home for the Doc Martin sets) around this time of year about whether he has a job portraying Bert Large for another season. So my first question for Ian this time was, “Have you called the farmer yet?” He replied:

“Instead of calling the farmer, I was actually just able to tell the farmer something…
“It was at Christmastime I got an email from Philippa, the producer, to say that ITV, the company that makes [Doc Martin], wanted to take us out to dinner. Everybody. So that included all the cast, all the heads of departments… We had a very swanky dinner in a big hotel in London, and we were all thinking, ‘This is gonna be it. This is gonna be over. It’s all going to end.'”

But the head of ITV gave the gathering a bit of brilliant news, indeed. The network was commissioning more Doc Martin. As Ian exclaimed during our chat:

Keep reading HERE at The British TV Place.

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.

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.

A Conversation with Ian McNeice – “Doc Martin’s Beloved “Bert Large”

By Karen Gilleland © 2015

 I had a short telephone interview with Ian McNeice when he attended the American Public Television Fall Marketplace in Atlanta in November. He’s the type of person you wish you could sit down with and talk to for hours. I’d describe him as an interesting, gracious, humorous, lovely man.

At the 2013 Fall Marketplace in Boston, you described Season 6 as “quite dark.” How would you characterize Season 7?
What’s come out of Season 7 is how much everyone enjoyed making it. Philippa [producer] regards it as one of the best series we’ve ever done. I hope they don’t rest on their laurels and say, “We’ve done it now; we don’t need to do any more.” I think they should take it as a springboard and say, “Let’s do it even better next time.” That’s what we’re all hoping for — the chance to do it again.

Given that the show has become an international phenomenon, and you an international celebrity, what do you find most surprising?
What’s been surprising over the years, in going to Port Isaac, is the interaction with the fans. I am really touched by their interest and love. They adore the show and the characters. You have to keep your feet on the ground. It’s a terrific honor to appear in a show that has touched so many people. When we go to the village, we see people from all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Japan, America, everywhere.

They want to come and see where the show is made. And they can’t believe we’re there filming. You hear them saying: “Oh my goodness, they’re here. This is fantastic.” It’s a real joy and honor to appear in such a show.

Where do you live during filming?
All the main actors are given a choice. We can have a cottage in the village itself or stay at a hotel. Some people opt for a cottage, some for a hotel. I’ve been fortunate. Every summer, I’ve managed to stay in the same house. It’s in the village, has an incredible view of the harbor below and is beautifully equipped inside.

You might say I run a bed & breakfast. The entire period we’re down there we have friends who come and stay. There’s a cushion in the house that says: “You never know how many friends you have until you have a house in Cornwall.” It’s true. Again, it’s like running a bed & breakfast. You wake up in the morning and come upstairs and say, “Do you want two eggs with that or one?”
It’s a joy to be in the village. We are now part of the culture. I know the locals. In fact, I’m going down in December for a wedding of friends I’ve made there.

Keep reading HERE at Karen's blog.

Calling All Clunatics: Send Your Doc Martin Fan Video Messages for Martin Clunes NOW

Doc Martin fans: NOW is the time for you to record your special fan video messages for Martin Clunes, because they could be shown on live TV on ITV!

One of the producers of Lorraine, the ITV morning show, just let me know that host Lorraine Kelly will be chatting with Doc Martin star Martin Clunes this Thursday, 19 November 2015.

Even better, the show’s producers are inviting fans of Martin Clunes and Doc Martin to send in video messages about your love for the ever-popular ITV series and its star.

So if you’ve ever wanted to tell Martin about how big a Clunatic you are, here’s your chance!
(And if you’re desperate for Series 8 of Doc Martin, you can also make your pleas, I mean desires, known to the man who can make it happen.)

Both individual and group fan videos are welcome.

The producers will be selecting the best videos to show to Martin and Lorraine viewers during his segment, so make yours brilliant!

Videos should:

• Focus on why you love Doc Martin and Martin Clunes.

• Be kept to 10-20 seconds max in length.

• Emailed to MMA@ITV.COM — NO LATER THAN 3 PM UK time (10 AM Eastern/7 AM Pacific) tomorrow, Wednesday, 18 November 2015. (Videos larger than 10MB should be sent using WeTransfer.)

• Note: Begging and pleading for Doc Martin: Series 8 is optional.

Here’s to your fan videos being shown to Martin Clunes on the Lorraine show!

Found HERE at The British TV Place.

Series 8??

The seventh series of Doc Martin is about to complete its national premiere in the US, and fans already want to know if there will be an eighth. So I asked Ian McNeice.

Ian McNeice, aka Doc Martin‘s Bert Large, is in the US right now, at American Public Television’s Fall Marketplace, where public TV programming execs are gathered to meet him and enthuse about Doc Martin, while screening others of APT’s programs for their upcoming schedules.

We all know Ian as a fine actor, and now I can say from personal experience that he is a genuinely nice guy, too, as he was happy to chat with me by phone this morning, despite my cracking, croaky, under-the-weather voice.

Before we spoke about Doc Martin, we spent a couple minutes on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, which I recently re-watched and in which Ian played several roles. Here’s a bit of trivia he shared with me: As a result of the reciprocity agreement for the RSC’s troupe of 38 British actors appearing on Broadway, London’s West End got… Elizabeth Taylor in the play Little Foxes.

Then we moved straight into Doc Martin, one of the most popular British TV imports ever. With Acorn TV about to stream the finale of Doc Martin: Series 7, and public TV stations set for the broadcast premiere of the series in 2016, what I and the rest of Doc Martin fandom want to know is this: Will there be a Series 8?

According to Ian:

“Every year that we make the series, we come to the end of the filming, and the last two weeks are all spent with the same question. All the actors ask each other, ‘Do you think we’re going to come back?’ Nobody knows… We all want to come back, but we have no idea, and it all hinges on two or three things.

“It hinges on the ratings, whether the ratings are good for ITV, and the next one is whether everyone wants to do it or not. So that really relies on whether Martin Clunes wants to do it again, whether Philippa Braithwaite and Mark Crowdy, the producers, come up with enough good script ideas. There’s a limit to how many ‘will they or won’t they get together again,’ which is a mainstay of the show.

“The good news is that, this past series has been one of the best that they’ve ever done. Everybody’s very happy with it. ITV are over the moon with it. The ratings have been terrific… And ITV is going to give us a dinner to celebrate the viewing figures.”

Keep reading HERE at The British TV Place.