Going Bodmin 

Former surgeon Dr Martin Ellingham arrives in the sleepy Cornish hamlet of Portwenn, replacing the former GP who has died.

Director:

Ben Bolt

Writers:

Dominic Minghella, Dominic Minghella (creator)

Stars:

Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz, Stewart Wright

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Clunes	...	Dr. Martin Ellingham
Caroline Catz	...	Louisa Glasson
Stewart Wright	...	PC Mark Mylow
Ian McNeice	...	Bert Large
Joe Absolom	...	Al Large
Stephanie Cole	...	Joan Norton
Lucy Punch	...	Elaine Denham
Felicity Montagu	...	Caroline
Celia Imrie	...	Susan Brading
Richard Johnson	...	Colonel Gilbert Spencer
Vincent Franklin	...	Chris Parsons
Finlay Robertson	...	Ross
Eddie Webber	...	Mover
Paul Worden	...	Fisherman 1
Roy Wilson	...	Fisherman 2

Storyline

Dr. Martin Ellingham is a successful London surgeon who decides to relocate to the seaside village of Portwenn to practice medicine as a GP. His reasons for doing so are his own and even his aunt Joan, who lives locally, isn't quite sure what his motivation is. As Martin settles into the village he comes across the village characters: Bert Large and his son, who as general handymen take on fixing the plumbing in Martin's house; Colonel Gilbert Spencer who has a peculiar medical condition; and Louisa Glasson, the local school teacher who also happens to be the only member of the local medical advisory committee to argue against Martin's hiring in the first place. Martin's gruff demeanor and poor bedside manner brings him into conflict with several locals and he seriously considers packing it in.

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Plot Keywords:

two word title | estrogen | gynecomastia | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of this episode, "Going Bodmin," is a common expression from Cornwall where the show is filmed. The term means "going mad" and refers to an asylum that was previously in Bodmin, Cornwall.

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Goofs

Opening credits for Felicity Montagu were end credited as Felicty.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Louisa Glasson: [spoken to Doc after staring at each other] You've got a problem.
[switches airplane seats]

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Soundtracks

Doc Martin Theme
(uncredited)
Written by Colin Towns

User Reviews

Brilliant series almost ruined by random fishwifery

What is it with British TV? It seems almost every fertile start is almost ruined by pointless female snarkiness. In the first six episodes of this series, the beautiful shots of the Cornish coast are overshadowed by the idiotic outbursts from receptionist Elaine. A bit of sass when the Doc gets a bit full of himself is probably needed, but with Elaine there so little that's funny about it that she does nothing for the show. One wonders why writer Minghella bothered with this character, unless of course it was to show how toxic the average young British woman has become. If this is the product of all that history, thank God the British Empire is no more. Elaine basically makes the show Unfunny, like an animal defecating in one's lounge room. Thank goodness she disappears after episode 6.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 2004 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Port Isaac, Cornwall, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Buffalo Pictures, Homerun Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

47 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1