"Doc Martin" (2004) TV series 2004-????

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Creators:

Mark Crowdy
Craig Ferguson
Dominic Minghella

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

2 September 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Trials and tribulations of a socially challenged doctor in Cornwall, England

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Cornwall | Spleen | Fear Of Blood | Anti Social

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Martin Clunes	...	Dr Martin Ellingham / ... (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Caroline Catz	...	Louisa Glasson (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Ian McNeice	...	Bert Large (22 episodes, 2004-2007)
Stephanie Cole	...	Joan Norton (19 episodes, 2004-2007)
Joe Absolom	...	Al Large (18 episodes, 2004-2007)
Katherine Parkinson	...	Pauline Lamb (16 episodes, 2005-2007)
Stewart Wright	...	PC Mark Mylow (14 episodes, 2004-2006)
Selina Cadell	...	Mrs. Tishell / ... (11 episodes, 2004-2007)

Runtime:

50 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:12 | UK:15 | Australia:PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Boscastle, Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Buffalo Pictures

Trivia:

The doctor's surname, Ellingham, is an anagram of the surname of the programme's creator, Dominic Minghella.

Quotes:

Elaine Denham: I'm sorry. I cannot tolerate imbeciles.
Dr. Martin Ellingham: Elaine, when we agreed you'd start at 8.30 you did realise I meant a.m.
Elaine Denham: Buying biscuits at the supermarket, right, and this bimbo won't let me through on six items or less. All baps up to here and stick-on nails she was. Get this -
[imitates the check-out girl]
Elaine Denham: "Sorry. Six items or less".
Dr. Martin Ellingham: And you had?
Elaine Denham: 20, but that's not the point.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from Saving Grace (2000)

A delight every week!

I thought that the story of an arrogant top-flight London surgeon trying to run a practice in a chummy town in Cornwall would make for a one-note fish-out-of-water series, but instead it has been a delight every week. Doctor Martin Ellingham, for a reason that will be revealed later in the series, decides to transplant himself to a seaside village in Cornwall where he spent a few summers as a child with an aunt, who presently runs an organic farm there. Being a terse, intensely closed, firmly impersonal fellow, he is appalled at the ways of the village people who consider themselves as one big, happy, nosy family. Of course, in a series like this, we expected the clash of cultures between the coldly efficient doctor and the quirky little town to be the main storyline, but it is the diversity of their quirkiness (some of which will surprise you!) and the inventive medical cases that call the doctor's attention, and the personal incidents that test his patience, that will keep you coming back for more each week. While there is a lead cast -- Doctor Ellingham (who intensely dislikes the too familiar "Doc Martin" that people insist on calling him), the head schoolteacher who develops an interest in him, despite herself, the affable teddy bear of a police constable, the exasperating receptionist with a chip on her shoulder, and the jokey, prank-loving plumber played by the wonderful Ian McNeice -- none of the characters that show up fleetingly in the beginning is actually a one-off. Eventually, everyone's back story is brought to the fore. This makes the town more and more three-dimensional and you may find yourself caring quite a lot for the individuals that make up this engaging little village; yes, even for the irascible doctor, whose own back story is rather quite poignant and makes his unbending personality more understandable. The best thing about the series is that it accomplishes all this without the schmaltz that usually ruins programs of this genre. For intelligent, humorous and charming entertainment, spend an hour in the village by the sea of Doc Martin. Who knows? Maybe someday, people will be trying to find Portwenn in the same way that fans of veterinarian-writer James Herriot have been looking for his fictional Darrowby. I would certainly give it a try.